To Love A Saint
by jparks91
Summary: Murphy has a lovely wife, a daughter, and his brother living across the street happily in Ireland until someone frames the saints. Can he really risk losing what he's worked so hard for? Story takes place during Boondock Saints 2: All Saints Day. Rating may be changed to M in the future.
1. Chapter 1

**I would just like to thank **_**stardina**_** for helping me out with this story. Your advice has been so helpful and I am so thankful! **

**I do not own anything Boondock Saints related, however I do own Emily and Lilah. This is take place in an AU where Murphy is married. **

Emily MacManus woke up early Saturday morning to the smell of bacon and coffee cooking in her kitchen. After a few minutes of enjoying the quiet of the morning, she rolled out of bed and headed down the stairs to start the day. Once she got to the kitchen she first noticed her poor husband attempting to peel and orange and cook bacon at the same time. She could help the chuckle that escaped her.

"Oh yeah," Murphy said, switching from the orange to the sizzling bacon. "Stand there and laugh at me. Lilah wanted and orange and she isn't a very patient child." She smiled at Murphy and walked over to their 8 month old daughter and gave her a kiss on her head. "I have no idea how you do this every morning."

She walked over to Murphy and took the orange out of his hand. "What can I say?" She said, taking off the last of the orange peel. "I've mastered the art of multitasking." Murphy leaned over and gave her a kiss. "I didn't even hear the baby waking up this morning." She said while sitting down at the table next to her baby in her high chair and fed her bit of the orange. "I must be losing my mom powers."

"Nah, you're not losing anything," He said, sitting down a full plate of bacon on the table. "I turned off the baby monitor so you could sleep in before church. I thought you could use the extra sleep after your first weekend off from school." He gave her a kiss on the cheek as he went to cook the eggs.

"That's so sweet." She said as Lilah started to bang on the high chairs table as a sign she wanted another bite. "Between my preschool students and my baby, a little rest was nice." When she brought the piece of fruit up to Lilah's mouth, the young girl grabbed the orange piece from her mom and attempted to feed herself, dripping the juice down her arm and all over her bib. "You can't make this easy, can you?" Emily said, grabbing a napkin and cleaning off her infant daughter. The baby started to giggle, bringing a smile to Emily's face.

"Connor will be here in a while, said something about needing to hide behind Lilah if Ma spots him at the chapel." Murphy said, setting down two plates of food on the table.

"Annabelle still getting on to him for not finding a lass?" She asked as they both took a bite of their breakfast. Murphy chuckled.

"Even when we were in Boston, miles and miles away, she fussed at us for not settling down and staring a family." He smiled at the memories.

"What was it like living in the states?" She asked. She could tell he tensed a bit at the question. He never did like talking about the states.

"There were a lot of bad people there. That's why Connor and I left. I'm glad we did. It led me to you." He said leaning over to the table and giving Emily a kiss. "And where would I be without my little darling?" He moved over and kissed Lilah on her forehead. The baby squealed and kicked her feet around with laughter, bringing a smile across both parents' faces.

"Can we take Lilah there and visit one day? You know I've always wanted to see the states. Surely you would want to catch up with old friends anyway." Murphy picked up the plates, putting them both in the sink.

"I don't think that would be a good idea." He said, not looking her in the eyes, which made Emily feel slightly uncomfortable. There were things Murphy didn't like to talk about, and his past was one of them. She decided it was best just to stay out of it. Just as she pulled Lilah out of the high chair, the kitchen door slid open and there stood Connor, wearing a polo shirt and black dress pants. He looked good, considering Murphy, Emily, and Lilah were still in their pajamas.

"Is that my little niece?" Connor said walking towards the squealing little girl. He picked her up and bounced her up and down in his arms. She responded by touching his face, something she has been doing a lot lately. "Why is she sticky?" He asked gently pulling her hands from his lips.

"That would be from the orange she devoured this morning." She said, taking her back from Connor. "I guess it's bath time now sweetie." She took the little girl back up the stairs to give her a bath. Once out of the room, Connor walked over to Murphy, who was cleaning the morning dishes. Connor went over and put a hand on his brother's shoulder.

"Wow, you play the role of house husband pretty well, Murph, it suites you." Murphy flicked some soap at Connor who dodged it. "Hey, these are my good clothes." He said, smoothing out his shirt. "Something bothering you bro? You seem a bit tense this morning." Murphy could tell Connor's voice was filled with true concern.

"It's nothing." Murphy said pulling the plug and watching the dirty water exit the sink. "Emily was just asking about Boston again." He dried his hands and rubbed his forehead. He could feel the beginning of a headache coming on. "I hate lying to my wife. She needs to know the truth." He slipped the silver band back on his left ring finger.

"Murph, I know it sucks, but you knew once you married her two years ago that you could never be honest about our past. It's too dangerous for her to know. Think about Emily. Hell, think about Lilah. How do you think she'd feel knowing her Da is an ex serial killer sent from God?"

The beginning of Murphy's headache was now a full-blown migraine. "I know that Conn, but it just isn't fair to her. I know everything about her and for all she knows, I was just a meat packer in Boston who ran away from America with my tail between my legs." Connor sighed. They've had this fight a few times, and he knew Murphy would never tell Emily the truth. He loved her too much to hurt her like that. Like their father hurt their mother. He just needed to blow off some steam at times. Murphy took a deep breath and looked at Connor, a slight smile crossing his features. "I can't wait until you start yelling about shit like this when you have a wife." Connor snorted.

"Yeah, well, don't hold your breath _little_ brother." He gave Murphy a shove. "No way am I becoming some girl's house husband. Cooking and cleaning for her, waiting on her hand and foot." Murphy snorted and threw the dry towel he hadn't realized he'd been clenching at Connor.

"Just you wait and see _little_ brother." He walked towards the steps. "When you find the girl, you'll know."

"Know what?" Emily said with a smile as she walked down the steps. Her dark brown hair was put up in a bun and fresh make up surrounded her breath taking light blue eyes. She had on a light blue dress and a white sweater. Also in her hands, she carried a freshly washed and dressed Lilah. Emily had what little hair Lilah had, put up in a pink bow that matched her brown and pink church dress. Murphy passed them both on the steps and gave Emily and Lilah both a kiss.

"Know that I'm the older twin." Murphy said with a wink and continued up the stairs to get ready.

Emily walked down the last three steps and came face to face with Connor. Lilah immediately put her hands out, signaling that she wanted Connor to hold her. Emily tossed her off to him. "Your daddy doesn't know what he's talking about." Connor said to Lailah, who was too distracted by playing with the beads of his rosary. "Don't let him fool you little girl, Uncle Connor is older."

"She's innocent." Emily said, a smile breaking through. "Don't drag her into your life long fight." Connor chuckled and bounced the girl up and down. "That wasn't really what you guys were talking about, was it?"

"No, Murphy was just trying to convince me to get married." He said, not taking his eyes off the little girl.

"Well, it would get your Ma off your back." She said.

"Don't I know it." He said, taking the beads out of Lilah's mouth. "It's not that I don't want to get married, I just think I have a little too much baggage for a girl to handle."

"That's insane, Conn. Any girl would be lucky to have you as a husband." She replied as Murphy came down the stairs fully dressed. "I accepted Murphy and all his baggage, and his isn't much different from yours." Murphy wrapped his arms around Emily and the boys shared a look. "Well, be better get going, your Ma would kill us if we were late for service."

….

Upon their arrival to the church, the first thing Connor, Murphy, and Emily saw was Annabelle MacManus outside the church waiting for the arrival of her only granddaughter. Emily took a loud sigh from the backseat. "Please tell me Noah is going to be here today." She said, unbuckling her daughter from her car seat.

"I doubt it," Murphy said, exiting the driver's side of the car. "You know how Da likes to do these things in privet." He opened Emily's door for her. "He's not really a 'service' kind of person."

Once they all exited the car, Annabelle was there in seconds. "There's my little grandbaby!" She said as she took Lilah from Emily. "I didn't think your mommy was going to get here with you on time. She's almost late." Lilah, oblivious to what her grandmother was saying, was playing with the beads of her grandmother's rosary.

"Hi Annabelle," Emily said, trying to hide her annoyance. "Sorry we're late."

"No need to be apologizing to me, lass." Annabelle said, shifting Lilah in her arms. "Best be asking the dear Lord for forgiveness." They all started to make there way towards the chapel.

"Yeah, but at least the Lord doesn't nag me for it." She whispered to Connor. He couldn't help but laugh.

The service was no different than any other. The boys said a prayer; they stayed, listened to the service while Annabelle sat with Emily and Lilah. Once the service was over and everyone had said a prayer, the boys took a seat beside the girls. It wasn't until a few moments until Murphy spoke up. "How's Da doing?" Annabelle took a long sigh, but never looked anywhere other than the large statue of Jesus on the cross in the middle of the alter.

"I reckon he's holding on." She said. "The Lord would be ashamed, but we just can't stay married, there have been too many lies, too much pain. I'm sorry boys. " Both boys nodded. They understood why their mom was getting a divorce, they didn't like it, but they understood. Emily however, didn't know the truth. She knew Noah left for the states when the boys were young, but she had no idea why. She likes Noah. He's nice and seems like a good father to the boys now. She figures it's not her place to ask Annabelle why they were splitting up.

"You know you always have Murph and I if you ever need a place to stay." Emily said before she could take it back. "Lilah would love it for her grandmother to stay over some nights." The little girl was wiggling out of her arms and trying to get to Murphy. He took his daughter in his arms.

"I've been on my own for years, darling." She said, placing her hand on Emily's shoulder. "I assure you, I'll be fine." Just then, Lilah started to fuss.

"I think someone's sleepy." Murphy said, trying to sooth the little girl. "We'd better be getting home."

….

**So how do you feel about this story? Should I continue? Please leave a review and tell me what you think so far! xoxo**


	2. Chapter 2

The day went by fast in the MacManus household. Emily had just finished putting Lilah down for the night while both boys went out to visit there Da. Honestly, Emily didn't mind the emptiness of the house. Between her daughter, husband, and brother in law, alone time was hard to come by in her house. After making sure the volume on the baby monitor was up, she decided to relax on the couch with a cup of tea and a good book. After around 11 o'clock and not a peep from Lilah, Emily fell asleep on the couch waiting for Murphy to get home.

….

The drive back home was the quietest the two boys have ever shared. They took Connor's car so he did most of the driving, but honestly Murphy didn't care. Murphy couldn't even believe the decision he had to make. He guessed Connor had already made up his mind, and in a way, that means Murphy made his up as well.

"Conn, I don't know about this."

"You heard what the priest said. Some asshole out there murdered Father McKinney under our name. I don't understand what's so complicated about the situation. You said it yourself," Connor tried to explain. "We go to Boston, kill every last mother fucker that had anything to do with this, and then get back home to our family."

"I said that in the heat of the moment Conn." Murphy sighed. "What am I supposed to tell Emily? I can't just leave her and my daughter here while I go on a killing spree in the states. I also can't bring them along and risk putting them in any danger. I also can't let my little brother go alone." Connor thumped Murphy on the back of his head.

A slight smile crossed Connor's face. "You honestly think I don't have a plan for that?"

"Does it involve rope?" Murphy received another thump.

….

Connor dropped Murphy off at his house, and then drove to his house across the street. He loves being neighbors with his brother's family. When Murphy walked into his living room he found his wife sleeping on the couch with her favorite book lying on her stomach. He couldn't help but smile, he was really going to miss her when he left. He walked over to her and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "Sweetheart, wake up. Let's get to bed." She woke up immediately at the sound of Murphy's voice.

"You're home." She smiled.

"Yeah, I'm back." He said, helping her sit up.

She couldn't help but notice the look of sadness in his eyes. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

"I'm fine, honey. Let's just get to bed. You look exhausted."

"Wait, wait." She said, stopping his actions. "Do you hear that?" She asked. Murphy listened closely but heard nothing. He gave her a confused look. "It's the first night Lilah's slept soundly. Which means," she started, running her hands up his chest. He tilted her head up and gave her a long slow kiss. When they stopped kissing he rested his forehead on hers.

"It's been 8 months." He said. "Are you sure you're ready again?" They haven't been intimate since Emily had the baby. Murphy was too afraid of causing her any pain, so he waited for 8 months. Emily couldn't help but chuckle at his concern. It was sweet.

"I've been ready for 3 months," she admitted. "I just didn't want to feel rushed or worried Lilah would wake. I want this night to be perfect." Murphy didn't say anything else. She laughed as he carried her bridal style up the stairs to their bedroom. What Murphy needed to say to her could wait until tomorrow.

…...

Emily woke up the next morning wrapped up in the arms of a naked Murphy. She studied his sleeping features. He looked so stressed out. She thought that after last night he would feel better, but he still seemed to be upset about something. She kissed his forehead and he opened his eyes and smiled at her. "I'm guessing we have about 30 minutes until Lilah's awake." She told him and he chuckled. He moved her bangs out of her eyes and just looked at her features. Her beautiful ivory skin, those beautiful grey-blue eyes, and her mocha brown hair. This is the woman he loves, how can he just leave her? With one last cheek kiss, he got out of bed and put his black and red plaid sleeper pants on. "Is this the part when you tell me you'll call me sometime?" Emily joked. Murphy couldn't help but chuckle.

"No, this is the part when I tell you that I'd love to stay and cuddle, but I have an early meeting this morning." She laughed and threw a pillow at him.

"I bet you used that excuse a lot before you settled for me, huh?"

"Yep, you married a real womanizer darling." She smiled and rolled her eyes. She got out of bed and threw on a tank top and pajama pants, put her coarse hair in a bun, and followed her husband to their daughter's room down the hall. They peeked in at little Lilah sleeping peacefully in her crib.

"God, she's so perfect." Murphy whispered.

"Just like her daddy." Emily whispered.

"I'm far from perfect, darling." He quietly closed the door to their daughter's bedroom, and walked down the stairs, leading him into the kitchen. Emily followed behind him.

"So, how is Noah holding up?" She asked.

Murphy let out a sigh. "Da's good, but I have something to tell you."

"Is everything alright?" She asked nervously.

"Everything's fine, well, not really. Connor and I received some bad news last night at Da's house." He motioned her to sit down at the kitchen table. They both took a seat. "Back when Connor and I were in Boston, we had met a priest, Father Douglas McKinney. He was a very wise, good man. We had grown to care for him a great deal. He gave us a lot of good advice. He even helped one of our dear friends who was in need of some guidance." Murphy chuckled at the memory of a clueless, hung over Smecker in a confession booth and a terrified Father McKinney giving him advice with a gun pointed to his head. Emily listened quietly while he took a deep breath. "He passed away yesterday, and Connor and I thought about going back to Boston to give our condolences."

This all made since. Why he seemed so upset last night and this morning. Emily leaned over and gave Murphy a hug. "I'm so sorry darling, I had no idea. Of course we'll go to the service. It'll be nice to see something other than sheep and green hills." Murphy sighed.

"Look, I would love for you to come, but I think this is something Connor and I need to do on our own." Emily nodded her head, understanding that Murphy didn't want her to see him and his brother in such a vulnerable moment of their life. "Besides, I don't know if it would be such a good idea to bring Lilah on a ship at such a young age."

"You're not going to fly?" She asked, confused.

"No, the service is in a few days and we couldn't get tickets in time."

"When do you leave?"

"Tomorrow, I'm sorry it's so sudden." She hated that he had to leave so early, but at the same time she understood.

"I guess I can stand the sheep and hills, but one day, Murphy MacManus, you will take me somewhere outside of Ireland." They both chuckled and at about that time, they heard Lilah crying on the baby monitor. "Let me get her." Murphy said, standing up from the table.

While Murphy was gone, Connor came in through the kitchen door holding 3 full coffee cups in a cardboard tray. "Hey Connor," Emily said, standing up and giving him a big hug. "I'm so sorry about the bad news." Connor set down the coffee and returned the hug, giving himself a high five in his mind.

"I guess Murphy told you already." He said, she let go and looked at him.

"He told me this morning. I'm so sorry about your friend." He picked up his coffee and handed her off her own cup.

"Yeah, it's awful. He was a good man." He took a sip. "Are you okay with us heading to Boston?" He asked, mentally crossing his fingers.

"I guess," She took a sip of her own coffee. "When do you guys think you'll be back?" Just then Murphy came down the stairs with Lilah.

"It's hard to tell," Connor said, staring at Murphy. "It might be a week."

"Maybe even two or three weeks." Murphy added. Lilah stretched out her arms out for her mother and Emily took her from Murphy and bounced her daughter up and down.

"Wow, that long?" She asked.

"Maybe." Both boys answered at the same time. "I'll call every night and let you know what's going on, okay babe?" Murphy added. Emily nodded. "I might not be here to watch Lilah, but Da said he didn't mind babysitting for you while you go to work, and if you get really desperate, Ma would love to watch her." Emily scoffed. The rest of the morning was spent eating breakfast and settling a few things out before the boys left the next day. When the evening rolled around and Lilah started getting sleepy, Emily took her daughter upstairs for a nap and the boys talked. "I feel like shit." Connor ignored what Murphy said.

"I told you the plan would work. Now we can get to Boston and take care of our little problem." Connor said. "That's one less thing to worry about."

"How long will this take?" Murphy asked. "I mean, what if this hit takes months. We don't even know what the fuck we're doing." To be honest, Connor hadn't even really considered it. "And now we don't have Smecker to help." The boys both crossed themselves.

"Look, we've got the Lord on our side." Connor said, saying a silent prayer that his answer would work for now. "He'll help us think of something."

"Fine," Murphy said in defeat. "But when something goes wrong, I'm blaming you for the rest of my life."

"Deal." _God is good,_ Connor thought. He really did need to think out a plan. Just then Emily came back down the stairs.

"I finally got her to sleep." She announced proudly. "Are you sure your Da is going to be able to take care of her while I'm at work?"

"He loves kids, he'd be honored you trust him so much." Connor said. Every understanding gesture Emily made was like jabbing a knife deep in Murphy's heart. He hated lying to her, but as long as he told himself it was to protect her and Lilah, he could live with himself a little while longer. He had to admit though; he was going to miss them both like crazy.

That night, when Murphy and Emily were both cuddled up together, Murphy couldn't help but realize what he was doing. He could get hurt. He could die like Rocco, Connor could die. He could get arrested. He may never be able to smell the shampoo in Emily's hair again. Never hear Lilah's laugh anymore. Never give Lilah any more siblings. Why was he doing this? It was then Murphy realized; he wasn't doing this to protect his family, if anything, it would only hurt them.


	3. Chapter 3

By the time Emily woke up around 5:30 a.m, Murphy already packed up his clothes for the trip. Of course, what Emily didn't know about, was the large amount of guns and ammo hidden in the secret compartment of his suit case as a precaution. He knew deep down that going back was the only logical choice he could make. God was calling him back. "Are you sure you're okay with us going back for a while?" Murphy asked, still naked and wrapped up with Emily in the covers.

"Of course I am. You need to go back and grieve for your friend." She said, trying to make her husband feel less guilty about leaving. "Just promise me you'll be safe and call every night and tell me how everything is."

"Of course I will, love." He got out of bed and slid on his jeans. "Look Em, before I go, I need to show you something." She got out of bed, threw on a tank top and jeans, and followed him over to their closet. He reached up on the shelf of the closet under some blankets and pulled out a revolver.

"Murphy, Is that a gun!?" She asked, shocked that her sweet husband would want such a thing in the house with his young child.

"It's for protection. Listen to me Emily, go down to the shooting range and learn how to shoot it. If you think you've mastered it, keep practicing. You can never be too safe."

"Murphy, that's insane. I can't shoot a gun! I don't like guns. You know that."

"I also know that if something happens while I'm gone, this gun will be your best friend if you can use it properly. I always thought I'd be the one to teach you how to shoot, but unfortunately we don't have the time. Take it." Emily couldn't bring herself to grip the gun. She was the biggest hoplophobic he had ever met, unfortunately.

"Why would I need to know how to shoot a gun? What do you mean _'if something happens'_?" He sighed and set the gun on the counter. He had no idea how to explain this to her. The only way he can get peace of mind while in Boston is to know his family in Ireland is safe without him for a while.

He gently rested his hands on Emily's shoulders and spoke softly. "I just want to know you're safe while I'm gone, okay? Chances are you won't even use it. Just practice to make me feel better." She nodded slowly. He let her arms go and picked up the gun and showed her how to load and unload, aim, and of course, how to turn on and off the safety. Emily made sure to keep a safe distance from the gun. She hadn't seen a gun since…

_-Flashback-_

_Emily's father held a gun to her mother's head while he forced his only daughter to unbutton her own shirt._

She shook her darkest secret from her mind. Emily came from a troubled past that not even Murphy knew about. If he did, he would surely not want anything to do with her. For all he knew, both her parents died a long time ago. She tried to pay attention to what Murphy was telling her, but in truth, she had no clue why he even wanted to show her this. They lived in a very nice neighborhood with a low crime rate and a good security system. And if something bad happened, Noah is just 15 minutes away. A gun is an overreaction.

After Murphy felt better, he put the gun in the top drawer under some shirts. He looked up at Emily. "You can do this, love. The gun isn't going to hurt you if you know how it works."

"If it means this much to you then I'll look into it." Just then, they heard Lilah giggling from her room. They left their room and walked down the hall to Lilah's room. When they cracked open the door, they saw their daughter sitting up in her crib, playing with a stuffed unicorn her uncle Connor got her. "Lilah Renee MacManus, what are you doing awake? It's way too early for you to be up little girl!" Her mother said. The baby started to giggle and hold up her arms as her daddy went to pick her up.

"She's wide awake," Murphy said. "It looks like our day is going to be starting early."

…...

After the family ate breakfast and cleaned up, Connor had gotten to their house with his car. "Okay, we've packed up our stuff, left you Murphy's car, and talked to Da about watching Lilah while you went to work tomorrow." Connor announced. "I think we're ready to say our goodbyes and hit the road brother."

Connor gave Emily a big hug goodbye. "Watch out for each other over there, okay?" Emily whispered to Connor who couldn't help but smile at her concern.

"What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't look out for my little brother?" Emily gave him a slap in the chest and then he kissed her forehead. "We've been looking out for each other our whole lives; it'll be like old times." She smiled and gave him one last hug. She was going to miss Lilah's crazy Uncle Connor while he was gone.

"Hey kiddo," Murphy said, picking up Lilah out of her highchair. "Daddy's going to miss you while he's gone." He said. The little girl just babbled and played with her daddy's rosary. "Daddy has to go take care of some bad men, so you take care of momma for me." He whispered to his oblivious daughter.

Murphy tousled what little amount of light brown hair Lilah had, kissed her forehead, and passed her to Connor. "Hey Lilah," Connor said, holding his niece. "You be good for your mom, okay? I know seeing my beautiful face every day will be tough for the both of you, but maybe you can pull each other through this together. " He pretended to wipe away a tear from his eye. "Stay strong. You two can do this." He was committing to this.

"Shut up, Connor!" Emily yelled from across the kitchen. Murphy laughed and wrapped his arms around Emily's waist. "You remember where I put the gun, right?" She rolled her eyes. "Emily, it's important to me okay? Please take those lessons." She nodded and he tilted her chin up and gave her a long kiss goodbye.

"Hey, hey, not in front of the baby." Connor said, walking over to the couple. He gave Lilah to Emily and motioned Murphy to the door. Murphy nodded and gave his wife and child one last kiss and goodbye. Then Emily was alone with their 8 month old child.

….

"I left Emily the revolver." Murphy said to block out the quietness of the car ride.

"Does she know how to use it?" Connor asked, not taking his eyes off the road. He didn't mind that Murphy gave Emily one of his spares, but he had to make sure she at least knew how to use it. "What did she think when you brought that up?"

"She's going to go to the gun range and learn how to shoot for me, and I taught her the basics. Revolvers are simple." He remembered the face Emily had when Murphy asked her to get familiar with the gun. "She didn't take it so well. She hates guns you know. She's never even touched one before." Connor took his eyes off the road and gave Murphy a curious look. "She'll do fine." Murphy reassured his brother.

"Afraid of guns, huh?" Connor said, returning his eyes back to the road. "What caused that?"

"Uh, common sense maybe?" Murphy said, rolling his eyes. "Jesus Connor, Guns are used to kill people. What other reason does she need?"

Connor sighed, "Sorry, usually people with a fear of guns have a back story. How did her parents die again?"

"Damn Conn, getting a wee bit morbid aren't we?" Murphy added.

"Just answer the question."

"Uh," Murphy had to think for a moment. "I think her mom had cancer, but we've never really talked about her Da. It's a sensitive subject." Murphy never realized that Emily never told him that. She just hates talking about her dad. Maybe he'd ask sometime. Maybe it has something to do with a gun.

…...

"There is no new information on the victim found slain this morning inside The Church Of The Holy Saints. As you can see, the size of the crowd here has increased substantially as we have confirmed the body was ritualized with pennies in the eyes. Many remember this as the grizzly calling card of the prolific vigilantly killers known as 'The Saints' who went on a murder spree here in Boston. A rampage that ended eight years ago when the Saints brazenly walked into open court and executed Mafia don Poppa Joe Yakavetta before a courtroom of terrified witnesses and then simply disappeared without a trace. As police have yet to confirm the Saints' possible involvement, the ominous question hangs heavy in the air. 'Are they back'?" Bailey Bennett watched the last of the newscast in the nurses' lounge of the hospital in total shock. Are the Saints' back?

"Turn that shit off, will you?" said her co-worker and best friend Chase. "They've been asking the same question all morning, over and over."

"So, do you think they're back?" Bailey asked.

"I doubt it. They killed a priest. No saint would kill a priest." Chase answered while getting a bottle of water from the fridge.

"Maybe the priest was dirty?" Bailey argued. "Personally, I hope they are back. I say give them a god damn badge and let them clean out all of fucking America." Chase laughed at Bailey's language. For a tiny little blonde girl, she could swear like a sailor if she was passionate about something.

"Yeah, you better be getting back to work before Naomi the nightmarish night nurse catches you actually taking a break."

"I hope she's their next target." Bailey joked as she got back up to go to work.

Bailey worked as an RN in the ER at the local hospital in South Boston. She was used the occasional broken bone, drunken hypochondriac, she's even seen a few gunshots, but none like this. 3 men came bursting through the door of the ER, one was drenched in blood and unconscious, one man, also covered on blood, was holding the man unconscious, and the other, a Mexican man, was trying to find someone to help his friend. Both men looked panicked as 4 nurses came out and put the unconscious man on a gurney. Chase broke out of the swarm of rushing people and came to Bailey. "Hey, can you go talk down that guy over there? His brother's been shot and he's a few steps away from a panic attack." Bailey nodded and walked towards the panicked man.

The man was sitting in a chair with his head in his hands while his friend was being told to calm down by other nurses. She put a hand on his shoulder which he brushed off. "Excuse me, Sir?" She said, trying to get his attention. He acted almost as if he didn't hear her. "Was that you're brother?" His head shot up. He looked at her with bloodshot eyes.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"The doctors will take care of him. You wanna tell me what happened?" He put his head back down in his hands and she sighed. "Can I get you a change of clothes?" He looked down at his blood soaked clothes in surprise, almost as if he hadn't even realized the mess.

"Yeah, a change of clothes would be good." She could tell by the way he was talking that he was in shock.

"Can you tell me your name?"

"It's Connor."


	4. Chapter 4

There was so much blood. It covered Murphy's limp body and his own. It was his twin's blood, Murphy's blood. It was just supposed to be a simple mission. Go into the warehouse, kill a few men in the name of God, and then leave. It was a simple as that. How could it have gone so wrong? Connor knew Murphy had been hit as soon as the bullet had left the drug smugglers gun. After Murphy went down, all Connor could see was red. As soon as all the men were surely dead, Connor couldn't get to Murphy fast enough. He ran to his brother's side.

He had been hit in the stomach; something he knew could be fatal without immediate medical attention. He needed to get Murph to hospital as soon as possible, but how could he do that without drawing attention to cops? Fuck it, who cares if they go to prison? He just needs his brother alive on earth with him.

"Murph, hang on. We're going to get you to a hospital, okay?" Murphy was losing way to much blood and barely conscious. "Everything's going to be alright, just stay with me brother." Romeo soon caught up with them.

"Are you crazy, man? We can't take him to a hospital!" Romeo said, trying to grip Connor back into the reality of the situation. "They're obligated to call the police with gunshot victims. Then what excuse would we give them? I don't think they'd fall for the 'accident' story."

"Just shut up and help me get him into the car!" Romeo rolled his eyes and helped Connor stand Murphy up and assisted him to the car. Connor held on to Murphy in the backseat on the way to the nearest hospital. He tried his best to stay calm for his brother, but such a thing was hard to accomplish for Connor. With every bump Romeo hit on the way, Murphy would moan and Connor would feel sympathy pains for his brother.

"Conn," Murphy started. "If something bad happens..."

"Don't say that Murph!" Connor said to his brother. "You're going to be just fine. You're going to make it through this okay?"

"Just make sure Lilah's okay, Emily too. Make sure they're both safe. Please…" Murphy couldn't stay conscious anymore. He was losing too much blood. Connor couldn't help but scream Murphy's name over and over. As if that would somehow make him wake up. Once Connor had pretty much gone numb and they got to a hospital, Romeo told Connor about an idea that he had while he parked the car.

"Okay, listen." He started. "We take him in there, I explain to the nurses or whatever that your brother was shot. We tell the police some bogus story about a mugging gone wrong and then when the police come, we say we're too shaken up about our friend to talk about it and that we'll go down to the station tomorrow to talk about it." Connor looked at Romeo through the rearview mirror with an eyebrow raised. He knew that wouldn't work. "Oh, I'm sorry; did you have a better plan?" Romeo said sarcastically. Connor took a deep breath to try to calm down.

"As a matter of fact," Connor said, grabbing his phone from his pocket. He found the name he was looking for in his contacts. For a moment, he feared he had deleted it. "Detective Duffy." He mumbled to himself and pressed the call button.

….

Everything happened so fast. They ripped Murphy out of his hands and he turned to Romeo and told him they would meet up later at Doc's bar. He gave Romeo the address and told him to go. For the first time, Connor was scared and alone. He had never been alone, and quite frankly, he wasn't dealing with it well. He tried to stop the nurses from taking his brother away from him, but they all just pushed him aside and gave him words of false hope. He knew everything was not 'going to be fine' like they were saying. His only brother had been shot. He couldn't rap his head around that though. He had to sit down.

He made his way to the lobby and took a seat away from everyone else in the waiting room. He put his head in his hands and tried to stop the tears that were forming in his eyes. Just then, he thought he felt a hand on his shoulder, but he wasn't in the mood to be talked to so he brushed it off. He heard someone talking to him, but he didn't care, he just wanted to know if Murphy was going to be okay. Then he heard her. "Was that your brother?" He looked up at the woman immediately.

"Is he going to be okay?"

"The doctor's will take care of him. Do you wanna tell me what happened?" She seemed like a sweet girl, but Connor couldn't care less at the moment. The only thing he cared about right now was his brother's well-being. He put his head back in his hands and sat there. The lady spoke again. "Can I get you a change of clothes?" He looked down at his clothes. Murphy's blood was smeared everywhere. He may look a bit less like a murderer if he got into some clean clothes.

"Yeah, a change of clothes would be good." He finally choked out. For the first time, he looked into the girls beautiful jade green eyes. When he looked into her eyes he felt like everything was going to be okay. She smiled a beautiful at him.

"What's your name?" She asked him.

"It's Connor."

"Hi Connor, I'm Bailey." She reached her hand out to him and he shook it. "Let's go get you a change of clothes." She led him to the nurse's station and opened up the big cabinet, fumbling through piles of scrubs. "Assuming you don't want to wear a hospital gown," she chuckled at the face he made. "I can give you an extra pair of scrubs they keep around here in case someone needs a change. Just don't go around pretending to be a nurse." She joked. He smiled about as much as he could while she handed him a pair of navy blue scrubs that looked like hers. She left him in the room to get changed and waited for him outside the door.

"Bailey!" Shouted chase from down the hall. "I've been looking for you everywhere. What are you doing?"

"I'm giving Connor a change of clothes. I thought it might make him feel better not to be covered in his brother's blood." He gave her a look.

"Connor?" He said with a slight smile.

"Yes, that's his name, Chase." She rolled her eyes. "Wait, why have you been looking for me?" she asked. It isn't abnormal for Chase to be looking for her, but for him to actually be 'searching' for her, that was odd.

"It's about loverboy in there," he whispered. She slapped his arm and he laughed. "No, detectives are here wanting to talk to him."

"Detectives? That's a little extreme. Why not just send the fuzz?" She asked. They must be thinking this is serious if they want to get detectives involved.

"You're telling me. The guy that's here is homicide."

"There is no way this guy in here tried to kill his brother. He's way too shaken up. You don't think they…" The door opened up and Connor stood there in clean scrubs. He also must have washed off in the sink. All the blood was gone. He looked at Chase. He remembered him as one of the nurses that helped take Murphy away. He had to speak up and ask.

"Excuse me, Sir. Have you heard any news about my brother? Is he alright?" Chase took a deep breath and looked at Bailey for a moment.

"We've got him in surgery. He lost a lot of blood, but the doctor said it looked like the bullet went clean through. No internal damage, which is very good. Your brother is a lucky man." Connor crossed himself and said a thank you prayer to God for watching out for Murphy when he could not. Chase continued. "Sir, I know this is a bad time, but there is a detective here to speak to you. It's just a precaution the hospital has to take in these situations."

"I understand." Connor said. He was just relieved to have heard some good news.

"Also," Bailey started. "You're going to need to fill out a few medical forms on your brother. Maybe try to contact any other family members." Emily, what the fuck was he supposed to say to her? He can't tell her that her husband's been shot. He also promised he'd call every night. What was he supposed to do? He tried not to show his concern and nodded his head.

They led Connor back to the main lobby where a man in a suit and shades stood and looked around. Connor recognized this man as Detective Patrick Duffy. When the detective spotted Connor, he slowly lifted his shades from his eyes. Connor was led to the detective by Bailey and Chase.

"This is detective Duffy." Chase introduced him. Connor and Patrick shook hands.

"Thank you both for the help." Duffy said to Bailey and Chase. He then looked at Connor. "May have a word with you outside, Sir?" Connor looked at Bailey, who smiled her kind, reassuring smile at him. She put her hand on his shoulder.

"I'll keep you posted on him." She said. He nodded at her and followed the detective to the privacy of outside the hospital. Once they were alone, Duffy dropped the act.

"What the hell is going on?" The detective said. "You leave for eight years, then I get a call from you telling me Murphy has been shot. I didn't even fucking know you were back!" Duffy took a deep breath to try to calm down. "I'm sorry Connor, how is Murph? Have you heard anything?"

"One of the nurses told me they're doing surgery. They said he'd lost a lot of blood but it was a clean shot. Everything should be okay." Connor said, taking a deep breath. Then his eyes opened wide. "What time is it?

Duffy checked his watch "it's 8 o'clock."

"That means it's…" Connor quickly did the math in his head "Shit, 1 a.m. in Ireland. I need to call Emily for Murphy."

"Wait just a minute. We need to go over a few things first." Connor took a deep breath. "Sorry, but it can't wait. Okay, tell me everything that happened." Connor went over every detail of the firefight in the abandon warehouse. He told him about meeting Romeo on the boat. Duffy wasn't too happy to hear about a third saint, but what's done is done. At least he was safe at Doc's.

"I knew if I called you, you could come down here and 'interview' me and we could get all of this shit behind us. It was a better plan than Romeo had anyway." Connor thought for a moment. "Can we use our real names?"

The detective chuckled. "You really do watch too many movies. Yes, nobody knows the identity of the saints." Connor sighed. "Does anyone know you're back in Boston?" Connor thought back. Did he tell anyone?

"No, just the family back home."

"Speaking of your family," Duffy started. "Who's Emily?" Connor couldn't help the small smile that escaped him.

"Murphy went and got himself a wife and a daughter back in Ireland."

The detective smiled. "Murphy's a dad? Wow, give him my congratulations when you see him. What about you? Have you found yourself a girl?" Connor couldn't help but chuckle. Why did everyone ask him that?

"Nah, I'm living up the bachelor life next door to them. Look, I love catching up Patrick, but I really do need to make this call." Connor didn't mean to sound rude, but he needed to figure out what he was going to say to Emily. Should he tell her that her husband had been shot? What if she wants to come down here to see about him? That option was too dangerous.

Duffy nodded. "Hey, you two be careful, okay?" Connor nodded and went to his phone to dial Emily's number.

…...

Emily was sitting in the kitchen next to the phone, skimming through the book she had been trying to stay awake to read. She was sure she had read the same paragraph ten times. She has the ringer on the phone set on a low setting so it wouldn't wake Lilah, but so far no phone call has been made. She had decided to just call it a night and put up the book when the phone finally rang.

"Hello?"

"_Hey Emily. How are things going at home?"_

"Connor? Things are going just fine, where's Murphy?" She asked. She loved hearing from Connor, but it was odd that Murphy didn't call.

"_Well, Murph and I came down to visit an old friend who owns a bar. One thing led to another and Murphy had a bit too much to drink. He's passed out at the moment."_ Connor was going to have to make this up to Murphy later.

This confused Emily. "You don't sound very drunk." She stated.

"_I guess Murphy has turned into a bit of a lightweight ever since he quit drinking when Lilah was born."_ Murphy was going to kill him.

"Yeah," Emily chuckled. "So, has everything been okay? Are you two staying out of trouble?" She joked.

"_Us? Trouble? That's impossible. We've been doing just fine. How's Lilah been doing today?"_

"She's great. She's been crawling around a lot more. I think she'll be walking soon. You can tell she misses you both a lot." Emily said. It was breaking her heart watching her daughter look around for her daddy.

"_That's great! I'll be sure to tell Murph tomorrow. We'll be home soon. Give her a big kiss for us when she wakes up tomorrow." _Bailey walked outside and started to motion to Connor to come back. "_I've got to go Emily, but I'll have Murphy call you."_ They both said their goodbyes and Emily finally went to bed with peace of mind.

….

"I have good news." Bailey said, happily. "You're brother's out of surgery and doing fine." Connor took a deep breath and hugged her. She inhaled his scent. He smelled like smoke, cologne, and gunpowder. It was amazing. "All you have to do is fill out that medical form."

"I can do that. You've helped so much, thank you Miss…" Connor didn't know her last name. Bailey blushed.

"Bennett, Bailey Bennett." She extended her hand which he shook.

"Well, It's nice to meet you Miss Bennett. I'm Connor MacManus." They both laughed. "Really though, thank you for the change of clothes. It was nice to have some pretty company to comfort me." Bailey's cheeks were flaming red. "Am I aloud to see my brother?" Connor asked, hopefully they could get out of here as soon as possible. Bailey nodded.

"He's not awake, but I can take you to him."


	5. Chapter 5

_Emily's dad was angry, drunk, and waving his gun around. It wasn't an uncommon situation in the Callaghan household, but that didn't make it any less terrifying for the scared mother and daughter huddled together in the corner of the house. Emily couldn't help but blame herself for her father's rampage. If she had just gone to school instead of trying to skip, then maybe her dad wouldn't have went and got drunk. She just couldn't stand the way the teachers looked at her bruises. Even though she was only 14 years old she could tell they didn't quite believe that she fell down her steps. She was tired of the sympathetic faces. _

"_Liam, please." Her mother begged through her tears. "She'll go to school tomorrow and make up for it. Just don't hurt her anymore." Renee Callaghan had her arms wrapped around her only daughter. She tried to protect her from her husband's rage as best as she could. _

"_Apparently this little bitch has been skipping school a lot lately. I have to go to the fucking courthouse and tell a damn judge what a pathetic little bitch my daughter is." Her father slurred. "I should just kill you now. It's not like anyone would even care or notice if you died." Emily couldn't help but cry at her father's hurtful words._

"_Please Liam, just go lay down. You'll feel better after a nap." He mother said between sobs. She was hugging Emily so hard that she was sure she would have bruises._

"_Or maybe I should kill you?" Liam said, mashing the barrel of the gun on Renee's temple. "You're the one who gave birth to her, always wanting to protect her and shit. Would you take a bullet for her?" Emily's sobs got louder as she cried for her father not to hurt her mother. "Come here, bitch!" Liam said, yanking Renee up by her shirt collar away from Emily. He held the gun to her mother's head. "You want to make it up to your father Emily?" He asked. "Take your shirt off." Renee started screaming and crying. She called her husband every dirty name in the book, but that just made him angrier. He took the end of the gun and hit Renee full force on her head, knocking her out._

Emily woke up crying, drenched in sweat, and all alone. Every time she had a dream about that memory she would wake Murphy up and he would unknowingly comfort her with no hesitation. She got out of bed and walked towards the dresser and opened up the first shelf. After tossing a few shirts around, she found it. The revolver Murphy left. She rubbed her fingers around the barrel and the handle trying to get used to the feel of it. She wiped the remaining tears away and took a deep breath. She's going to learn how to use this gun.

….

"This hurts like a son of a bitch!" Murphy was shouting. It was the next day and Bailey had to take the dressing off of the wounded area and replace it, but Murphy isn't a very good patient. Unfortunately, there's no easy way to do this, in her opinion. Just rip it off like a band aid.

"All done, Murphy!" Bailey said, lifting the dirty gauze strips in victory. Murphy was clutching his stomach. He was obviously in pain. "I think it's time for your pain medicine. Let me go get it." Bailey said while re-bandaging the wound. Once she left, the brothers had a few minutes to talk.

"What the fuck happened?" Murphy asked. He had no memory of anything.

"What is the last thing you remember?" Connor asked. He wasn't really sure how he was going to tell Murphy all the shit that went down at the warehouse.

"We were with Romeo outside the warehouse. You had just given him your .22. It's all a blur after that." Connor took a deep breath.

"Don't panic on me or anything, but one of those asshole smugglers shot you. Hints the bullet wound on your stomach." Murphy laid his head back and closed his eyes. He wished he could remember this. "I'm sorry I let you get shot, but if it's any consolation, I shot that fucker dead as soon as he shot you. I almost didn't even put the pennies in his eyes."

Murphy scoffed, he knew Connor never really considered not doing the pennies. That would have made the kill personal. Not a mission from God. Murphy's eyes shot open. "Emily, I need to call Emily!" He tried to get out of the bed, but the pain was too much. Connor laid his hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry Murph, I called her last night." This made Murphy calm down a bit.

"You didn't tell her I was shot did you?"

"Are you crazy? Of course I didn't" Connor said, acting offended. "I just told her you had a bit too much to drink and that you passed out."

"Oh great, now my wife thinks I'm a pussy lightweight." Murphy stated, rolling his eyes.

"I prefer her to think of you as a lightweight rather a serial murder." Connor said. Just then Bailey came back in with the medication for Murphy. The boys quickly changed the conversation to something a little more company-friendly.

"You know, I really must thank you for watching after my brother while I was out of it. I'm glad he had such a pretty lass there to help calm him down." Murphy said, he could see the girl starting to blush a bit.

"You better be careful," Bailey said to Murphy. "Your wife might not like you saying stuff like that to another girl."

Murphy gave her a confused look. "How did you..?"

"You're wearing a wedding ring." She said, pointing at his left ring finger. They both laughed. She could tell he was harmless. "But… you're not." She said, looking at Connor. "Not even a tan line on your ring finger." Connor chuckled.

"Forget nursing, Lass. You could be a detective with that eagle eye." He joked.

"Yeah, I don't miss much." She said. "Like those tattoos on your hands. What do they mean?" She looked at the tattoo on Murphy's hand and then back to Connor's.

"This here," Murphy started "Says Aequitas. That means justice in Latin." She traced the tattoo on his hand.

"And this one here," Connor jumped in. "Says Veritas. That means truth in Latin." She repeated the same actions on Connor's hand.

"Wow, I can barely even pronounce those words." Bailey said. They all chuckled. "Are those matching tattoo's on your necks? You took the teen rebellion thing a little serious didn't you?" They all laughed again and Connor and Murphy subconsciously touched the tattoo of the virgin mother Mary on their necks.

"Yeah, that's us." Connor said. "Rebellious catholic boys."

Bailey stayed with Murphy and Connor all morning. She only left when it was time for her to give her other patient's medicine. They told her stories about Ireland, they talked about Emily, and Bailey even opened up to them. They all laughed together and the more time she spent with Connor, the more she realized she was developing a crush on him. Bailey even stayed a few hours after she clocked out just to talk to them some more. Bailey had made her own little seat against the window sill next to Connor and Murphy so they could all be comfortable. "So, you lived in an orphanage your whole life, huh? What was it like?" Connor asked.

"It was okay. I mean, a lot of people assume you're lonely because you don't technically have a family, but the kids that live there become your family." She answered. "I just didn't really like living in a house fill with nuns." Bailey joked. "If I ever miss church one Saturday I still feel the burn on the back of my hand." Both boys grabbed their hands immediately. That's how she knew they were truly Catholic.

"Hey Murph, if we're going to go home tomorrow you might want to get some sleep." Connor said. He knew Murphy needed to make a call to Emily anyway. Bailey got up from the comfy little area she had made by the window sill and stretched.

"I better get home and get some sleep too. I'll be back tomorrow if you're still here." She gave Murphy a small hug goodbye. "I do hope that you get to go home though." She said.

Murphy smiled. "It was nice meeting you, darling."

"Your wife is going to need to keep her eyes on you." She joked. She knew he meant nothing by his harmless flirting.

Connor stood up from his chair. "Speaking of wife," he started. "Murph probably needs to give her a call. Let's give him some privacy. I'll walk you to your car." They walked to the car in a comfortable silence. Once they got to her car, he handed her a slip of paper with his cell phone number on it. "If you ever want to talk, or if you just need to hear my beautiful Irish brogue, you can give me a call." She laughed and rolled her eyes.

"I will defiantly give you a call sometime." They said their goodbyes and she drove home very happy. The first thing she did was program the number in her phone.

….

After work, Emily went to Noah's house to pick Lilah up. The dream she had last night had been on her mind the whole day. She couldn't even give her preschool students the attention they needed. She couldn't get the memories of her drunken father had her sobbing mother out of her mind. That had been the night her father had killed her mother. He had hit her temple so hard it caused her brain to swell. After she passed out she went into a coma and never woke up. Luckily that gave Liam Callaghan a 25 year prison sentence. It wasn't a death sentence (which was what Emily wanted) due to the fact that he was heavily intoxicated. Just knowing that he'll never see the outside of a prison is enough to Emily now. She hasn't had contact with him since.

Emily had to get over her fear of guns and this was her only hope at the moment. She felt around in her purse for the revolver and jumped when the back of her hand bumped into it. She took a deep breath and knocked on the door.

"Hello, Love." Noah whispered, greeting his daughter in law. He had Lilah in his arms, sleeping. She looks so peaceful with her grandpa.

"Hi Noah, how was she?"

"She was an angel all day." He said, proud of his only granddaughter. "She was crawling all over the place."

"Yeah, it's a bit scary now that she's mobile." Emily joked. Noah invited her inside. He put Lilah in the crib he kept at his house for babysitting and they sat down in the kitchen with a cup of coffee. Emily kept her purse clutched in her hands.

"Is something bothering you, Lass?" Noah asked. Emily looked so stressed out.

"Actually, something is bothering me." She said. Noah sat up and waited for her to continue. "Before Murphy left for Boston, he told me to start practicing how to shoot a gun, but I have no idea what I'm doing. I was wondering… Can you help me?" She said it so fast, Noah almost didn't understand her. He set his coffee down.

"Of course I can help you. I'm glad Murphy wants to keep you safe." Emily took a deep breath. "What's wrong, lass?" She still looked troubled.

Should she tell Noah something that not even Murphy knows? Maybe It would feel better to stop bottling it up. "It's just…" She took a deep breath. "My mom was killed by a gun. I mean, she wasn't shot or anything. Someone hit her in her temple and it caused her brain to swell. I've hated guns ever since."

She decided it would be best to just leave her father out of it. What's done is done. Noah nodded his head. "I'm sorry about your mother darling." She waved him off. She had accepted her mother's death a long time ago. She had even named her daughter after her. "Of course I'll teach you how to shoot. We can drop Lilah off at Annabelle's and head off to the range today if you want."

Lilah nodded. She wanted to get this over with as soon as possible.

….

Bailey sat on her couch and stared at the name in her phone, Connor MacManus. It's such a strong, Irish name. She turned off her phone and turned on the TV for a little background noise while she got ready for bed. It was just another stupid news report about the Saints. She could help but over hear the report this time.

"_Nothing new on the saints has been told yet, but the police have made a statement earlier in the day saying that the murder of father Douglas McKinney was not the saints"_

Bailey couldn't help but roll her eyes. Of course the saints didn't murder that priest.

"_However, the dead bodies of 6 illegal immigrants were found earlier today abandoned in a warehouse in the south side of Boston with the same M.O as the Saints. It looks as though the alleged 'Saints' are back in business. The only thing witnesses from that gruesome day in the courtroom can remember was the Irish accents, and tattoos on the hand of both saints." _They showed a sketch of the tattoos._ "No one could understand what they said, but from what they could tell it may have been Latin. They also noticed matching neck tattoos of religious artwork. If anyone has seen anyone that matches this description, the Boston PD is asking for…"_

Bailey shut off the television. It couldn't be. She went to bed with one true question on her mind, Are Connor and Murphy the Saints of South Boston?


	6. Chapter 6

With Lilah safe with Annabelle at her grandmother's home, Emily followed Noah to a privet "gun range" he knew about in the darker streets of Ireland. The old style shooting range gave Emily the creeps. It was basically just an old abandoned warehouse with targets pinned up from the ceiling. There were no lights on anywhere in the building, the only source of light were the windows letting in the afternoon sunlight. Emily pulled the gun out of her purse and handed it off to Noah. "Hmm," he said, looking at the gun. "This is a Colt M1878; it's a good hand gun in good condition." He popped open the chamber. "It's not loaded." He stated. She knew it wasn't. There was no way Emily was going to carry around a loaded gun. "Do you have any bullets with you?"

She nodded and went to her purse and dug out the box of bullets Murphy had shown her while he was telling her about the gun. "The box holds forty bullets." She said, handing Noah the gray plastic box full of bullets.

After teaching her how to load the gun, he got everything in order and led her about 15 feet away from the target. Noah handed Emily the gun. "Okay, just don't forget about the kick, okay? It's pretty strong. Hang on tight to the gun."

Emily took a deep breath. She tried, tried with all her heart to pull the trigger, but she just couldn't. Memories of her father waving around a gun and screaming were running through her mind. She could feel a tear escaping her eye. Before she knew it, Noah was standing behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and laid his hands over her own. "Whenever you're ready lass." He said. Emily felt more comfortable knowing that Noah was there. She couldn't help but wish Murphy was there.

She counted to three and Noah helped her pull the trigger. As soon as she heard the gunshot, as soon as she felt the kick of the gun, all the fear she had felt, the burden of her family that constantly hung over her, all those horrible feelings left her body. She turned around and gave Noah a hug.

"I did it!" She said while Noah hugged her back. "I shot a gun!" Noah couldn't help but chuckle a bit. He knew this was a big step for her.

"Do you want to see how you did?" He asked, leading her towards the target. Honestly, it didn't matter how well she did, she just couldn't believe she had taken such a big step. He held up the target paper for her to see. "Wow, that's really good." He said, pointing out the bullet hole. She didn't hit the bullseye, but she did manage to get only two rings away from it. "A little more practice and you'll be an amazing shot."

Emily was able to shoot a few more rounds until her ears started ringing a bit too much. It was getting dark out and she needed to go pick Lilah up anyway. She could still feel a rush of adrenaline coursing through her body. "Do you want to meet back here tomorrow and pick up where we left off?" Noah asked, while Emily put everything back in her bag.

"Yeah, we'll meet here tomorrow." She said. She grabbed her phone out of her bag. "Can you give me a minute? I think I need to call Murphy." Noah smiled and rested his hand on her shoulder before heading out to wait in the car. Emily dialed Murphy's number.

….

Bailey couldn't sleep all night. Surly those two, seemingly innocent Irish men couldn't be the serial killing vigilantes "The Saints." She tossed and turned all night. It all made since now. The gunshot wound, the smell of gunpowder, homicide showing up, and those tattoos. They had to be the Saints. There was no doubt about that. The only thing Bailey did know was what to do about it. She really liked Connor, and Murphy was growing on her. Plus she never really disliked the saints. She knew calling the police wasn't an option, but should she tell Connor and Murphy that she knew? She didn't want to scare Connor away. They might run away if they knew she knew. Bailey didn't know what to do, so she just prayed for answers.

"_Lord Jesus Christ, grant me the gift of understanding. Help me to understand the feelings of others, the desires of others, the goals of others. At the same time, help me to understand myself in my actions and reactions. Widen my vision beyond my own small world to embrace with knowledge and love the worlds of others. _

_Help me, Lord, to always see You at work in my own life and in the lives of others. Bless me with insight, acceptance and love that is tempered by You who are all things to all men. Help me to understand, Lord. Amen."_

…_._

Connor and Murphy had gotten the okay from the doctor to leave earlier this morning so they were gathering up what little items they had brought with them. They had only been there for two days, but Murphy was going insane staying in one room for so long. If it weren't for the constant smoke breaks and Connor, he would have broken out a long time ago.

"I'm not going to miss one damn thing about this place." Connor said, folding up a pair of Murphy's pants and putting them in their suitcase that Romeo had brought them after taking out all the weapons.

"What about Bailey?" Murphy asked with a smirk.

"Come on Murph, she's a sweet girl and all, but I can't really afford to have feelings for a girl right now." He started to smile. "It would be way to cliché for me." He joked. "It was okay when you met Emily," He started serious again. "We assumed we were done with The Saints then, but now…"

"I get it." Murphy said, "You can't really 'date' right now." Murphy said, packing up his toothbrush. "At least she's got your number." He added with a wink.

Connor rolled his eyes. "You make me regret telling you things, asshole." He threw a pair of folded up socks at Murphy. Murphy caught them before they hit him, but he jerked his stomach to hard causing pain. "Christ, sorry Murphy." Connor said when Murphy hissed in pain. He helped Murphy sit down in the hospital chair that Connor had been using as his bed for the past few days.

"Lords name." Murphy managed to say through clenched teeth. Once Connor had him seated and the pain in Murphy's stomach subsided, Murphy couldn't help but think. "How am I supposed to explain this scar to Emily exactly?" He asked.

"Haven't really thought about it." Connor answered and continued packing. "We'll think of something."

Murphy rolled his eyes. "You know, one day that answer isn't going to be good enough." Connor jokingly flipped him off. "And what about our work? How am I supposed to..." he dropped his voice lower. "Do what we do if I can barely move?" Connor sighed.

"The doctor gave you some pain meds, just take those and we'll lay low for a while." Connor answered. Murphy sighed.

"What about Emily? We can't afford to lay low for long."

Just then Bailey poked her head through the doorway. "Hey guy, care for some company?" They both looked at her with a smile.

"Of course darling, you're always welcome to be with us." Connor said. Bailey laughed and walked into the room. Murphy gave Connor his 'this conversation isn't over' look which Connor did his best to ignore. "What brings you here so early? You don't work today do you?" Bailey shook her head no and walked towards Murphy and Connor.

"No, I don't work today. I heard you guys were being discharged today and I wanted to say goodbye and to give you this." She handed them each a little black box.

"You didn't have to do that lass." Murphy said, looking at the box.

"Yeah, that's incredibly sweet." Connor added.

Bailey blushed. "Well, you guys are the best patience I've taken care of, and when I saw them I knew I had to get them for you." They opened the boxes and held up the gift. It was a silver chain necklace with a small Celtic cross. On the back of the crosses, a single word was engraved _"Saints." _"Do you like them?" She asked, trying not to sound too eager.

"They're lovely." Connor said, slipping his around his neck. Murphy put his on too and slowly stood up and gave Bailey a hug.

"Thank you." He said, giving her a pat on the back.

When Murphy let her go, Connor walked up to her and gave her a hug. "Thank you darling." He gave her a kiss on her cheek. She was starting to think that Connor enjoyed how much he made her blush.

"It was nothing." She blurted out, not knowing what else to say.

At about that time, Murphy's phone started going off. It was Emily. "Could you guys excuse me? My wife is calling." He said, pointing to the phone. They waved him off. Connor needed the chance to talk to Bailey alone anyway.

…...

"Hey honey, sorry I haven't called you. We've been super busy here."

"_That's okay honey; I know you're busy catching up with old friends. Sweetheart, you're not going to believe this, I had my first shooting lesson today!" _ Murphy noted that she sounded happy. That was a relief.

"That's great babe!" Murphy said, trying to get out of the noisy hallway. He finally found the quietness of a bathroom. "How did it feel? Did you do alright?"

"_Yeah, I did pretty well!"_ She said, pleased with herself. _"Your dad helped me. He said that with a little more practice, I'll be a good shot."_

"That's great babe, I'm glad Da was with you."

"_I think I've gotten over my fear of guns!"_ Murphy could feel a weight lifted off his shoulders. He knew now that his family would be safe while he was gone. _"You would have been so proud of me Murphy."_ She was adorable. She sounded like a kid who passed a tough exam.

"I am proud of you Emily, just keep practicing, okay?"

"_I will, your Da and I are coming back tomorrow to pick up where we left off."_

"That's great. How is Lilah doing?" He asked.

"_She's doing okay."_ Emily replied. "_Like I told Connor, she misses her Da, but we're hoping he'll be home soon."_

"Yeah, he hopes he will be home soon too." Being away from his infant daughter was killing him. "Send her my love, alright?"

"_I will," She said. "I probably need to go and pick her up from your Ma's." _Murphy couldn't help but laugh at that one. She rolled her eyes at his laughing even though she knew he couldn't see her. "_It's a long story." _She said, attempting to defend her choice of leaving her with Annabelle.

"I'm sure it is." He chuckled. "I love you Emily, and I love Lilah too. I'll be home soon, okay?"

"_We love you too Murphy. Bye."_

"Bye." Murphy ended the call and rested head against the bathroom wall. It hit him all of a sudden. He was shot. Murphy laid his hand over his bullet wound. He could have died. He would have never heard or seen Emily of Lilah again. He just needed a minute alone.

….

Murphy just left the room and an awkward silence fell over Connor and Bailey. She tried to make it obvious that she knew with the engraved necklace. She could tell from his face that he knew she knew. The only real question for Bailey was 'How is he going to react?'

_So, she knows._ Connor thought to himself. Was she going to call the police? Were the necklaces her way of saying that she accepted their work?

"You told me about growing up with your mother, you told me about the first time you were drunk, you told me about your first kiss, hell you even told me about the time you got beat up by a girl… You didn't even think about slipping in the fact that you were The Saints!" Connor didn't really know how to reply to that.

"In my defense…" He started "She was a very large woman." Bailey punched him in the arm. "Ouch, sorry. I know, it seems like it was bad to just leave you out of this, but let me ask you something. What would you have done if I had told you the truth?" Bailey straightened up. She hadn't thought about that. "I just didn't want you to be involved with this. What Murph and I do is dangerous. The less you know the better. Trust me Bailey."

"Look, Connor, I know you don't know me very well, and God knows I haven't done anything to earn your trust, but please trust me, your secrets safe with me. This might sound crazy, but I feel like God wanted us to meet that night." Connor looked at her puzzled.

"What do you mean?" He asked.

"Well, you believe God does everything for a reason, right?"

"Of course I do." He said, subconsciously laying a hand on his rosary.

"Maybe the reason Murphy got hurt was because God wanted us together." She wanted to further explain before he though she had went completely crazy. "I know I sound crazy right now, but I feel this connection with you. Do I sound like I've lost my mind?"

Connor couldn't help but chuckle. "No, you don't sound crazy," He explained. "I've been feeling it to, I just don't know what in the hell to do about it." The room went quiet for a moment.

They stared into each other's eyes. His light blues met her jade green eyes. They didn't need words. Connor brought his hand up and stroked her cheek, dragging his fingers down to her chin. He brought her face closer to his, their lips almost touching.

"Let's get the hell out of here Connor." Murphy said, bursting through the door. "Sorry Bailey, darling, but I need to talk to my brother." Bailey sighed and Connor let her go.

"I need to get going anyway." Bailey said, picking up her purse off the empty hospital bed. "I hope you feel better soon Murphy." She gave him a hug goodbye and turned to Connor. "I have your number," She said. "I'll give you a call okay?" Connor nodded sadly. He could only pray that this wasn't the last time he saw her. They exchanged an awkward hug and a goodbye and then she was gone.

"You better have a damn good reason for barging in here like that!" Connor said angrily. He tried to keep the volume of his voice at an inside level. "This better be important!"

"A real fucking good one." Murphy said. "I just got a fucking call from Duffy. They've figured out who the bastard calling out the Saints is." Connor couldn't believe what he was hearing. They figured out who this douchebag is already?

"Well, who the fuck is it?" Connor asked.

"His name is…" He looked at the name he had written down on a piece of paper when he had gotten the name. "Liam Callaghan."


	7. Chapter 7

_**Jeterbabe14:**_** Thank you so much for the review! I always thought that if Connor or Murphy had their own kid, they would be very good fathers. Almost like they're trying to be like the father they never had. That's why Murphy is upset for leaving. He doesn't want to be like Noah in that way.**

_-A month before the death of Father Douglas McKinney-_

"Are you sure you can't find any trace of her?" Liam Callaghan asked his friend and ex-convict James O'Neil. James was sitting at the computer in his basement while Liam sat on the couch that he had made his bed. After James had helped with Liam's escape from prison, they had both been on a mission to try to find Liam's daughter, Emily. Liam has some unfinished business with her.

"Hang on, I think I see something." James said, pulling up a marriage certificate. "What year was Emily born?" Liam had to think.

"She was born in '80."

"Is her full name Emily Jane Callaghan?" Liam stood up from the couch and walked over to James and the computer.

"That's her name." He said.

"Not anymore." James said, scrolling through the marriage certificate. "Her name is now Emily Jane MacManus. She's been married to some guy named Murphy for about 2 years." He turned the computer screen towards Liam.

"Let's see, Murphy Sibeal MacManus. It says here he was born in 1978 right here in Dublin." Liam read the little bit of information that was written on the certificate. He took a drink of his beer. "Can you find out more about him, James?"

James nodded and went to work. "I'll get some guys on it. It may take a couple of days." He nodded. Liam didn't know what he was going to do when he actually came face to face with his daughter. It was her fault he had been thrown in jail anyway. She knew he had a bad day at work that day. If she had just gone to school and had been in bed that night, her mother wouldn't have been dead and he wouldn't have been in in jail for 16 years. He was lucky he had met James. James was an ex-cop accused of murdering his old partner. His friends on the force helped them both escape. They're living in James's mother's old abandoned cottage just outside of Dublin. All Liam has to do is sit back while James tries to track Emily down.

….

Two days had gone by with no luck on any information regarding Murphy or Emily MacManus. Liam was about to give up and just spend the rest of his life hiding when James came rushing into the room. "I found something!" James said, waving around a piece of paper. "You are not going to believe this man." He handed Liam the paper.

Liam looked at the paper in confusion. "I don't understand," he said handing the paper back to James. "Who the fuck is Il Duce?"

James looked at him in disbelief. "You've never heard of Il Duce?" He said in shock. "He's that serial killer who got himself locked up in Hoag. Remember?" He handed him the piece of paper again. "He's the man who took down La Cosa Nostra one by one!"

The name sounded familiar to Liam. "Okay, what does he have to do with this?"

"Well, apparently Il Duce also goes by Noah MacManus. According to the police files, he has two twin sons named Connor and Murphy. Emily married the son of Il Duce!"

Liam rolled his eyes. "My daughter always could pick a winner." He said sarcastically.

"That's not all." James said, walking over to the computer and pulling out a file on the shelf. "Noah MacManus has been accused of being one of the three Saints." Liam looked at him confused. He had never heard of the notorious 'Saints of South Boston.'

"You've lost me James." He said, taking a sip of beer.

"The Saints were these serial killers in Boston. They killed Papa Joe Yakavetta in open court and fled back to Ireland. I guess being in prison for 16 years has put you out of touch with the outside world, huh?" Liam ignored him.

"Wait, so my daughter is married to a serial killer?"

James nodded. "Apparently she married into a family of serial killers."

"I have a plan." Liam blurted. James grabbed a beer for himself and motioned for them to sit on the couch. "Do you still have connections in Boston?" He asked. James nodded slowly, unsure of what his friend was planning.

"I know a few people." James answered.

The smile on Liam's face started to slowly grow. "How do you think these Saints would react if they were to be called upon? Perhaps the tragic death of a friend might make them want to take a trip back to Boston. Then I wouldn't have to worry about them intruding while I 'visit' my daughter." The smile on James face grew as well.

"I know just the man for the job."

….

After the call with Emily, Murphy went outside to smoke. Maybe the nicotine will help his breaking heart. Just as he's lighting up, his phone starts ringing. Duffy's calling. That's odd. Murphy answered the phone curiously.

"Duffy?"

"_Murphy!"_ Duffy's voice sounded like he was in a panic. _"I've been trying to get a hold of Connor, is everything alright?"_

"Everything's fine Duffy. Connor's phone is off." Murphy said, confused. "Is everything alright?"

Duffy ignored the question. "_Are you still here in Boston?"_

"Yeah, we're still here. Why? Is something going on?" How did he know they were back In Boston? Why has he been trying to contact Connor? Has he been talking to Connor? Maybe he was just guessing they were back after the death of the priest. He sounded so sure that they were there though.

"_Murphy, you to have to get back to Ireland, I think your family may be in danger_." Murphy could feel his heart rate going up. What does he mean…danger?

"What are you talking about Patrick?"

Duffy took a deep breath. "_They brought in the man who killed Father McKinney. He confessed he was a hit man hired by an ex-con in Ireland to lure in the saints. You need to get back to Ireland now Murphy. I think they may be targeting your family." _

Murphy could feel his heart drop down in his stomach. "Do you have a name of the man who hired him?"

"_His name is Liam Callaghan." _Murphy found a piece of paper and took a pen out of his pocket and wrote the name down. After writing down the name he shoved the name in his pocket. _"He was arrested in 1993 for murder. He was in prison for 16 years before he broke out with his cellmate James O'Neil who was a police officer arrested for murdering his partner. These guys are bad news._" Duffy said, flipping through the files of both Liam and James.

"I don't understand," Murphy said. "Why would they be after our family?"

"I don't know," Duffy started. "Listen Murphy, these guys are vicious. Liam killed his wife by bludgeoning her with the handle of a gun. The guys are heartless. You might want to get back to Ireland. I have a bad feeling about all this. I have no idea why they would want to lure you back to Boston."

Murphy knew he had to tell Connor this new information and get home quickly. "Thank Duffy. We'll check it out."

"You two stay safe, okay?

"We will." Murphy answered.

"Oh, Murphy?" Duffy added

"Yeah, Duff?"

"Try not to get shot again."

Despite the tension of the situation going on, Murphy chuckled. "As much fun as that would be, I don't plan on it." They both chuckled and said their goodbyes. Murphy rushed back into the hospital room where Connor was. When he barged into the room, he could tell he was obviously interrupting something between Connor and Bailey, but he really couldn't care less at the moment. Emily could be in trouble and that was all he cared about. "Let's get the hell out of here Connor." Murphy actually felt a little bad about causing the shocked look on Bailey's face. Connor just looked angry. "Sorry Bailey, darling, but I need to talk to my brother. They let go of each other.

"I need to go anyway." Bailey acted as if she couldn't get out of there fast enough. She was blushing so hard she looked like she had two tomatoes resting on her cheeks. "I hope you feel better soon Murphy." They hugged goodbye. Then she walked over to Connor and whispered something to him. If Murphy wanted to, he could probably have heard what she said, but right now he was more concerned about his family. He could practically feel the awkwardness of the hug between Connor and Bailey.

Once she was gone, all of Connor's attention went to Murphy. "You better have a damn good reason for barging in here like that! Connor snapped. He lowered his voice a bit. "This better be important."

"A real fucking good one." Murphy said. "I just got a fucking call from Duffy. They've figured out who the bastard calling out the Saints is." He said angrily.

"Well, who the fuck is it?" Connor asked eagerly.

"His name is…" He took out the crumpled piece of paper from his pocket. "Liam Callaghan." Murphy went to grab his packet suitcase. "Come on; let's talk about this in the car."

….

When Emily got home the next day from target practice with Noah, she held Lilah in her arms while she dug around her purse for her house keys. Just before she stepped inside, she noticed something lying on the porch in front of the door. The cover of the white envelope was completely blank except a name written in the middle. _Emily Callaghan._ She was shocked. She hasn't seen that name in two years. She hates that name. This blank letter made Emily's skin crawl.

Emily placed Lilah in her playpen with her toys and set the letter down on the kitchen table. She got a cup of coffee, took a deep breath, and opened the letter. Inside, were three pieces of paper folded up. She unfolded them and what she saw almost made her drop her cup.

The first piece of paper was a newspaper headline about the escape of Liam Callaghan and James O'Neil. She read the article carefully. Apparently James was a cop who was accused of murder as well. He had a few friends from the inside and broke him and Liam out. The police are saying Liam had only served 16 years and is still considered as a dangerous man. They had added a list on numbers to call if you have any information on the whereabouts of these men, but somebody had marked them out with a sharpie. Her father escaped from prison?! The very thought make her sick to her stomach. He's free and he knows where her family is. Emily didn't want to read the other pieces of paper, but she knew she couldn't just throw them away. She set the newspaper article aside and picked up the second piece of paper.

The second sheet of paper was another newspaper article. This one, however, was about Emily. It was her wedding announcement. Annabelle insisted on posting about the wedding in the paper for a scrapbook. Emily looked at the photo of Murphy and herself. They had looked like the perfect happy couple that day, but it looked like someone had tried to scratch off Murphy's face with an eraser. Emily rubbed her thumb over the photo. She could feel the tears forming in her eyes. She urged herself to keep going. Only one more sheet of paper left.

The last sheet was a hand written letter. Emily read it carefully to herself.

_EmyJane,_

_It's been 16 years Emmy. I hear you got married while I was locked up._

_Does this guy even know what he's gotten himself into? I'd guess not. You_

_always were privet people, you and your mother. For such a privet little girl, you_

_sure were easy to track down. Listen here, we have unfished business. _

_Meet me at our old house. I hear it's been abandoned. I guess your mother left_

_too big of a blood stain on the floor nobody could sell it. Meet me tomorrow _

_around 10:00 p.m. Don't try to tip off the cops. If I get locked up again, I_

_have the names of a few hit men to come after you and those saints of yours. _

_Just you and me, it'll be like a family reunion. Don't be late._

_Love Daddy._

After Emily was done reading the letter, she crumpled up the paper and throws it in the corner of the room. Her tears were rolling down her cheeks. She couldn't tell if she was more scared or angry. She hated the nickname Emmy. That's what he used to call her in public to try to add the illusion that they were a happy family. Ever since then that nickname has made her skin crawl.

There was something in that letter that she didn't understand. Who is Liam calling a saint? Did he mean Murphy and Lilah? God, please don't let him know about Lilah. Why would he call them saints though? Perhaps it's because he knows she hasn't told them about her trouble past. The man is crazy. Either way, Emily knows that she has to go and see him. Maybe he just wants cash. Who knows? The quicker she gets him out of her life, the better.

Emily looked at her purse. He gun is in there. Maybe she could kill him. She's been doing very well with Noah, and she still has plenty of bullets. Is she ready to aim at a person? She makes a silent agreement that she'll at least take the gun with her. Murphy would want her to.

Emily was so wrapped up in her father's letter; she didn't notice Lilah sleeping in her playpen. It's getting late, so Emily puts her in the bed. She's too on edge to sleep. She walks to the corner of the room and picks up the crumpled piece of paper and tries to smooth it out as best as she can. She's going to meet her dad tomorrow at 10. She has no choice.


	8. Chapter 8

_**Jeterbabe14:**_** I'm so glad you're enjoying the story! Let's hope Murphy can save the day!**

_**Guest: **_**I'm glad you love the story!**

Romeo paced the floor in the back room of McGinty's. They had managed to talk Doc into letting them borrow his old computer. They wanted to find all the information they can on Liam Callaghan. With the help of Greenly, they managed to log into the criminal data base. Since Liam has a record, they'll be able to learn most of their information there. "I found him." Murphy said, triumphantly. Connor was sitting in the chair by his brother's side.

"Charged with the murder of his wife Renee Marie Callaghan and sexual assault of his daughter…" Connor stopped reading. It couldn't be true. Emily?

"Emily." Murphy whispered. "No, no it's not the same Emily. It can't be." He said to no one in particular. They clicked on the mug shot photo and as soon as they saw Liam's face, he couldn't deny it. Same eyes, same face structure, same hair color and type. Connor put his hand comfortingly on Murphy's shoulder. He tried to keep calm. He really wants to kill this fucker now. "I'll kill him!" Murphy shouted, shooting up from the computer chair.

Romeo was confused by the outburst. "Who's…?" He read the name on the screen. "Emily Jane Callaghan?"

Murphy stormed out of the room angry. He needed a cigarette right now. "It's Murphy's wife." Connor said, not able to look Romeo in the eyes. Connor was angry too, but someone needs to be able to think clearly. "We need to get back to Ireland and fast. He might want to reconnect."

….

Murphy was standing outside the back of McGinty's. It was safe back here. Four brick walls separating him from the noisy people in a hurry to get home from work. Just two garbage cans to keep him company. That's fine, he's enjoying the solitude. He can't help but wonder why Emily wouldn't tell him about her father. Did he ever make her feel like she couldn't tell him something like that? Then again, he never told her the truth about his past either.

Every time he closes his eyes, he pictures that ugly man in the mug shot. The things he made Emily do ran through his mind. Of course, he doesn't even know the full story, maybe he didn't do anything. That is the only thing Murphy can tell himself to stop him from getting sick. His sweet Emily, she's so innocent. Liam deserves the bullet that will be going through his head.

Now he just has to figure out what he was going to do. Should he call Emily and warn her about her father, letting her know that he knows about him and possibly revealing his identity as a saint? Should he try to make it back to Ireland in time to kill her father and wait until she's ready to tell him?

Any one of those decisions could be dangerous. If he told her the truth about her father than the trust in their marriage would be shattered, the trust that's been based upon nothing but lies. What if he doesn't make it to Ireland in time and Liam gets to her? He can't let that happen either. Every option he has could have horrible consequences. He doesn't want his love to get hurt, physically or emotionally. He needed to talk to his brother.

As if they shared the same brain, Connor was by his side in seconds. They just stood there, staring at the brick wall in silence until Connor spoke up. "I take it from your reaction that she never told you about her mother or father." He said, lighting his cigarette.

"Only lies." Murphy said, laying his head back against the brick wall and closing his eyes.

Connor couldn't help but feel the need to comfort his brother. He just didn't know how. "Murphy, people make mistakes, but right now, Emily could be in danger. I can tell you're not mad, so what are you?"

"I'm just," Murphy took a deep breath. "I'm just feeling so many feelings at once. I'm hurt that she didn't feel like she could tell me the truth. I'm so angry that her father did that to her. I hate that she had to lose her mother that way. And I'm terrified that I'm going to lose her." Murphy did a forced chuckle. "You probably think I'm some kind of woman now, huh?"

Connor stepped in front of Murphy so that he was facing him. "Listen to me Murph, you caring about you family doesn't make you any less of a man. You're not going to lose Emily, you two just need to talk this out, but if we don't leave now, Liam might get to her first. And I'll be damned if we're going to let that happen."

Murphy took a deep breath and nodded. "Let's get going Conn."

….

Bailey finally got home from the hospital and collapsed on the couch. She almost shared a kiss with Connor. He accepted her gift. She accepts him as a saint. Bailey's never felt this way about a guy before. It's very possible to her that Connor could be the man she wants to spend the rest of her life with.

What is she saying? He's a saint. How could they even date? Would she have to live her life with a fear of the police? Murphy has a wife, so she knows it's not impossible. Just as she was thinking this, her phone rang. The caller I.D said _Connor M._

"Hey Connor," She tried not to sound so thrilled to hear from him. "How are you?"

"_Hey Bailey, I'm fine. I just wanted to say sorry. I know the way I left things at the hospital makes me a shitty person and I'm so sorry." He said. He was holding onto the necklace she gave him as he spoke._

"Things just got carried away." She explained. "I'm sorry I yelled at you. I know you were just looking out for you and your brother by not telling me."

_Connor sighed. "Bailey, you have no idea how happy I am to hear you say that." He said._ "_God, saying this is going to make me the biggest douchebag in the world."_

"Saying what?" Bailey asked her smile dropping.

"_I'm on a boat right now going back to Ireland. Something's come up with a family member and I had to leave. I'm so sorry, but I had to."_

Bailey took a deep breath and tried to sound like her heart hadn't just been shattered into a million tiny pieces. "Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that. Is everything okay?"

"_It's just…" He took a long pause, unsure how to put it, "Saints' stuff." He sighed. "I'm sorry Bailey."_

"No, no, Connor, it's fine. You go help your family." She could feel tears welling up in her eyes, but she forced them not to come out. She was not going to cry over this. "We'll still talk over the phone, right?" She could hear him take a small sigh of relief.

_Despite the pain in his heart, he smiled. "Of course we will. I would say I would come and visit, but that might be a little dangerous."_

Bailey smiled a bit. "I can visit every couple of months or so." She said, and then she felt slightly embarrassed. "I mean, if you have the room."

"_Of course we do. After all of this shit with my family is resolved, you should come down to visit. I'll show you around. I know you'd get a long great with Emily."_

"Ah, the famous Emily," Bailey joked. "I'm nervous already."

_Connor smiled. "No need to be nervous. Her bark's worse than her bite." They both laughed "I guess I better let you get back to your life, but I'll call you as soon as I get the chance."_

"Stay safe Connor, I'll talk to you soon. Bye."

"_Bye."_

_Am I in a relationship?_ She wondered as she leaned back into the couch. Little did she know that Connor was on a boat to Ireland, asking himself the same exact question.

….

Emily was standing over Lilah in her crib, smoothing the little hairs on her baby daughters head while she slept soundly. Emily envied her daughters innocence. _We were all like this once._ She couldn't help but think. Even Liam Allen Callaghan was innocent at one point in his life. Of course, years later he turned out to be a drunk, sexually abusive, and a murderer. It makes her wonder if one day Lilah would ever lose her innocents. No! Lilah wouldn't ever do anything like that. Emily started to feel sleepy despite her nerves and decided to try to get some rest. She still had work tomorrow, and she needed to act like happy Mrs. MacManus, a preschool teacher. Then when she gets home, she needs to run by Noah's to ask if he can watch her late so she can become Emily Callaghan, victim of Liam Callaghan. Someone she thought had died a long time ago.

…...

**I know this wasn't a very long chapter, but I just want to thank everyone who has been following and favoring this story. It's really encouraging to hear from you and it inspires me to write more. Thank you all! xoxo**


	9. Chapter 9

After work, Emily went by Noah's to see Lilah for a little while. They were both playing with Lilah's stuffed animals on the floor in Noah's living room. She didn't have to meet her dad until 10, so that gives her some time with her daughter. "Are you sure you don't mind watching her so late?" Emily asked, her eyes never leaving her daughter.

"Of course I don't mind," Noah said from the kitchen while making tea. "She'll probably just sleep the whole time anyway."

Lilah picked up her favorite stuffed animal, a unicorn Connor had given her when she was first born, and started bouncing around like she was frustrated. "Aw, do you miss daddy and Uncle Connor?" Emily asked, her heart breaking for her daughter. She picked up her daughter and sat her in her lap, attempting to comfort her.

"You know," Noah said, emerging from the kitchen with two cups of tea. "You never told me why you are going to be out so late tonight." He handed Emily a cup and sat down in his black leather reclining chair. Emily remained on the floor with Lilah in her lap.

She sighed; she knew she couldn't tell Noah the truth. That she was going to meet her father. She hated lying, but hopefully by the end of the night, her father will be a thing of the past. "Oh, I just have a couple of teacher friends that want to get together tonight." He could tell she wasn't being honest with him by the tone of her voice, but he decided that it was none of his business. She took a sip of her tea and placed it on the coffee table. She bounced Lilah up and down on her knee while the little girl clung to her shoulder. "Hopefully I'll only be a few hours."

Noah nodded. "You take your time to catch up with your friends. If you want, Lilah can spend the night so she doesn't get woken up when you get home. "Emily couldn't help but think that was a good idea. "It'll be her first sleepover." Emily smiled.

"Does that sound like fun little girl?" She asked Lilah while tickling her, making Lilah giggle.

"It's settled than." Noah said happily. "You can just pick her up after work tomorrow." Lilah started to reach out to her grandfather. Emily stood up with Lilah in her arms and handed her to him.

"Are you sure this isn't any trouble?" Emily asked. "Do you have everything you need?"

Noah chuckled at the young mothers concern. "I have her diapers, bottles, an extra crib, her toys, and a baby monitor. She'll be fine Emily." He reassured her. Emily sighed and brushed the hair on Lilah's head. She kissed her daughters forehead goodbye.

"If you need anything just call." She said to Noah. "I better go and get ready. I'll see you both tomorrow."

….

When Emily got home, the first thing she did was go to her room and get the gun from the top drawer. She loaded the gun and placed it in the front of her pants and looked at herself in the mirror. She looked ridiculous. Due to her petite form, the gun was obvious. Then, she had an idea. She put on a heavy jacket that drooped on her, hiding the gun.

She only had a couple more hours until she had to go and meet her dad, so she made some relaxing tea and sat down at the kitchen table. Her eyes could help but roam to the crumpled up piece of paper across the floor. She got up to throw it away, but something stopped her.

She read the insulting piece of paper with her dad's writing on it one last time. She tried to rip it, but something inside of her just could do it. She sat back down at the kitchen table and smoothed out the piece of paper. She feels nothing but hate for her father, but why is it so hard for her to get rid of this note? Taking a deep breath, she stood up from the table and decided she better get going. She ran her hand over the gun in her shirt, grabbed her purse and headed out the door.

….

Once they were back in Ireland, Murphy insisted on driving the whole way from the dock to him house. Connor was just as worried about Emily and Lilah as Murphy was, but he just assumed they'd be less likely to get pulled over for speeding if he drove.

Murphy didn't care what the speed limit was. All he could think about was the safety of his family. He still hasn't figured out if he's going to tell Emily what he knows about her father. He had nightmares all night on the boat about it. They were horrible nightmares about her finding out about the saints, nightmares of her not accepting him, nightmares of her death. He isn't going to let that happen. He's going to protect his family.

"Do you need to talk it out Murph?" Connor asked, breaking the silence. To be honest, Connor's been worried about Murphy ever since they found out about Liam. He tossed and turned all night, when he was awake all he would do was bite his thumb nail, but the worst part was that he was shutting Connor out. They haven't even had a full conversation since the one outside Doc's bar.

It was about a minute until Murphy answered Connor. "He hurt her Conn." Connor could feel his brother's pain. The cracking in Murphy's voice made Connor's heart ache for his brother.

"He's going to pay for that Murph." Connor answered.

Connor could hear his brother inhale and then ask. "What is she's repulsed by me, by what I am?" It took all the will power Connor had not to thump Murphy on the back of the head. Instead, he opted for rolling his eyes, going unnoticed by Murphy.

"What you are?" Connor said angrily. "You mean a good man, a man who would risk anything for the safety of him family, a man who loves his wife and daughter with all of his heart?"

"A killer, Connor." Murphy said. "I'm a killer. No matter how much I love my family, I will always be a killer. No matter what you say to try to convince me I'm a good person, I've still killed people." Connor didn't know how to respond. "You were right." Murphy said, not taking his eyes off the road. "You were right about what you said to me before my wedding." Connor closed his eyes. Out of all the conversations Connor regrets having with Murphy, and that would be the one he would never forgive himself for.

….

_-Flashback to Murphy's wedding day-_

_Murphy stood in the back room of the church adjusting his tie. He was marrying the love of his life today and nothing could make him unhappy on this day, the happiest day of his life. Just as he finished his tie, a knock came at the door and Connor poked his head in._

_He was fully dressed in his tux Emily picked out for him and while he couldn't feel any more uncomfortable in the outfit, he looked quite stunning. "Is the best man allowed to have a chat with the groom before the ceremony? I've never studied all of these wedding traditions." Connor said, jokingly. He took a seat on the chair on the other side of the room._

"_I kind of think that's the tradition anyway, or is it Da who I'm supposed to talk to?" Murphy and Connor both shrugged. "Eh, these kinds of moments aren't really his thing anyway."_

"_Eh, it's never quite been him cup of tea." Connor said. There was a long pause until Murphy spoke up._

"_You wanted to talk?" Murphy said._

_Connor took a deep breath. "What I have to say, isn't going to be easy for me to say Murphy. Are you sure you want to hear it?"_

_Murphy tried to defuse the tension. "We already had the sex talk in school Conn, remember?" Connor laughed at the memory._

"_I don't remember the talk as much as I remember the detention for hitting Rebecca McGregor with condom water balloons." They both laughed. "That poor little girl." Connor added while shaking his head. _

"_So, what is it then Conn?" Murphy said, taking a seat in the chair next to Connor._

_Connor took a deep breath. "Murphy, are you sure this is a good idea, getting married and all?" Connor said it fast, like ripping a band aid off of a really hairy part of your leg. "With our background… I just don't want to see you two ending up like Ma and Da. It's just so much for one girl to handle." He said. To Connor's surprise, Murphy didn't seem angry. _

"_Connor," Murphy said, putting a hand on Connor's shoulder. "I love Emily with all my heart. If the time ever comes that she needs to know about the saints, then I can only hope she would understand my predicament. It's in the past. She's my future." Connor smiled _

"_You're sure?" He added one more time. Murphy replied by a simple nod. Connor clapped both of his hands on Murphy's shoulders. "Well alright then little brother, let's get you hitched!" Murphy laughed as Connor walked out of the room._

"_You're lucky this is a special day or I would tackle you down to the ground for calling me that!" He called out to his brother._

…_._

Connor sighed. "I was wrong back then Murphy. You were right, maybe if Emily finds out soon, she'll understand."

"That was back when I thought all of this was behind me." He rubbed his stomach. His wound had been hurting ever since they left the hospital and that wonderful I.V medication. "We just went to Boston, killed a dozen men at least, to try and send a message to someone who was just trying to lure us away." Murphy sighed. "I've put her in danger; I've put my daughter in danger. I'll be lucky if she can even look at me the same ever again."

The rest of the ride was silent.

….

Once they got to Murphy's house it was Midnight. Murphy quietly dug out his keys and unlocked the door with Connor following behind him. All of the lights were off and the house was silent. "They must be in bed." Murphy whispered to Connor.

Connor flipped on the light switch in the living room so they could get a good look around the house. Nothing seemed disturbed. "You go upstairs and check on her, I'll wait down here." Connor said "I think I should bunk on the couch for a while during this whole "Liam" problem, just to be safe." Murphy nodded and headed up the staircase.

Connor walked into the kitchen to grab a bottle of water and something to eat. He looked down at the table and saw a piece of paper that looked as though it had once been crumpled up. He didn't want to be nosey, but he picked it up and read it.

….

Murphy headed up the staircase and opened the door quietly to his bedroom. He expected to see Emily sleeping, but instead he opened it up to see an empty bedroom. The bed was still made, the lights were all off, and her pajamas were neatly folded on the bedside. He quickly went into the bathroom to look for her, but there was no trace of his wife. Panicked, he ran to Lilah's room across the hall and she was gone too. Before he could ever process what was going on he heard Connor scream downstairs.

"Murph! Murph! We have a problem!" Murphy ran down the stairs.

"They're gone Connor. Emily and Lilah are gone!" He said panicking. Connor lifted up the note he was holding. "What the hell is that?" He asked through his haze.

"It's a letter." Connor said. He was still in shock.

"What does it say Conn?" Murphy asked. Connor lifted the letter to his face, his hands slightly trembling, but not as bad as Murphy was shaking.

Connor cleared his throat and started to read. _"EmyJane, it's been 16 years Emmy. I hear you got married while I was locked up. Does this guy even know what he's gotten himself into? I'd guess not. You always were privet people, you and your mother. For such a privet little girl, you sure were easy to track down. Listen here, we have unfinished business. Meet me at our old house. I hear it's been abandoned. I guess your mother…" _Connor had to take a deep breath to finish the note.

"Keep going." Murphy said. He was surprised his legs were still holding him up.

"_I guess your mother left too big of a blood stain on the floor nobody could sell it. Meet me tomorrow around 10:00 p.m. Don't try to tip the cops. If I get locked up again, I have the names of a few hit men to come after you and those saints of yours. Just you and me, it'll be like a family reunion. Don't be late. Love daddy." _Connor laid the letter down in disgust.

Murphy clenched his teeth. The nerve of this bastard, he can't wait to kill him. "Connor, you don't think she really went do you?"

Connor looked up at the clock. "It's midnight. Maybe she just took Lilah and stayed over at Da's for protection." Connor let out a breath of relief. He hadn't thought of that possibility. Murphy pulled out his phone and dialed Noah's number.

"_Hello?" Noah answers the phone sleepily._

Da listen, we're back in Ireland. Do you know where Emily and Lilah are?" Murphy tried to sound as calm as possible. There is no need to worry Noah if he doesn't need to.

_Noah took a second to stretch. "Emily went out with a couple of friends and left Lilah with me for the night. I'm surprised the phone didn't wake her." Noah looked at the clock by his bedside. "Is she not home yet?"_

Murphy could feel his heart beating faster. Thank God Lilah was with his Da, but Emily, why would she go and see her Da? "Da, we have a problem." Murphy went through the whole scenario. The fake calling of the saints, the backstory of Emily and her Ma and Da, and the note Connor found on the table. Connor just sat there at the table rereading the note and praying to God that Emily was safe.

"_Okay boys, you stay there. I'll be over in a minute and we'll track this Liam down." Noah said, getting out of bed._

Murphy sighed. "You just stay there and keep a watchful eye on Lilah. Make sure no one gets to her. Connor and I will track down this mother fucker." Connor's head shot up from the letter and he nodded at Murphy as a sign that he was in.

_It was Noah's turn to sigh. "Fine, but you boys keep me updated. That's my daughter-in-law out there."_

"We will Da." Murphy said. He could no longer mask the worry in his voice.

"_Don't worry son," Noah said comfortingly. "You're going to find her, and she's going to be just fine. I can't say the same for Liam however." A smirk came across both of their lips. "You go and find her now." Noah added._

"You're right, we'll find her. I'll keep you posted Da, bye."

They both hung up the phone and Connor stood up from the table. "Do you know where Emily use to live? That's where the note says for her to meet him."

Murphy sighed. "It never came up."

"Well, that God for the internet." Connor added. "If her mother died there, surly it will have the address on the internet." They moved to the laptop that sat on the coffee table in the living room and searched for the address. Luckily they found it.

"It's about a 15 minute drive. That's not that bad." Murphy said.

Connor sat up a little straighter. "Murphy, I hate to say this, but what if she's not there?" Murphy didn't really know if Connor meant that her Da kidnapped her or if he meant she might not have went, either way it didn't matter to him.

"I can't afford to think that. This is the only lead we have." Murphy said. They both stood up and went into their bags and strapped on two guns at their sides. Connor also strapped an extra small gun across his ankle while Murphy added hid Rambo knife in his belt loop. "Are you ready?" Murphy asked. They both took a second to look at each other.

"Let's get your wife back dear brother."


	10. Chapter 10

_**Yankeegirl14:**_** Thank you so much for the sweet review! I try my hardest to describe what everyone is going through so you can understand the decisions they make. I'm really glad you're so into the story, and thanks again for the review. It really encourages me to read what people think of the story so far.**

Emily sat in her car outside of her childhood home. She took a look at her watch; _it's almost 10:00,_ she thinks as she feels for the gun at her stomach. After a sigh of relief once her hand touched the metal, she let herself look at her old home. Nothing had changed about the house. Yes, maybe the paint could use a touch up and the grass needed to be trimmed, but if you overlook those small details, nothing much has changed.

She lived on a dirt road at the top of a hill, away from all the noise and distraction of the city. The nearest neighbor had to be at least a 10 minute drive from here. It might be a 5 minute drive if you actually went the speed limit, which nobody ever did. She examined the abandoned house now, the white paint that was chipped from awful Irish rainstorms. She could close her eyes and remember when it would rain when she was a child. The house was only a one story building, but Renee, Emily's mother, was always afraid that a tornado would come, and feared she would have no place to keep her daughter safe from harm. One day, after her mother had cause a big enough worry about it, Emily's uncle on her mother's side built an underground basement that they could be safe to stay in just in case of an emergency. They never did need a reason for the basement, but after it was built, Emily finally had a big room to run around and practice dancing in.

Emily couldn't help but chuckle at the sound of her childhood. From the outside, it might sound like it was an amazing childhood, but that was when she was young. That was when her dad worked as a soldier in the IRA. He was gone through most of her young life, but made a reappearance when she was around 12 years old. He had been discharged and sent back home. The first year he was back he was a great guy. Sometimes he would have these emotional outbursts, but only towards her mother and only after he'd been drinking which, in the beginning, wasn't often. After a while, he started getting less shy with his feelings and more comfortable with beer. At some point, Emily can't remember when, he stopped becoming just emotionally abusive and was just flat out physically abusive.

After examining the outside of the house for any traps one last time, she took a deep breath and opened the car door. She opened the unlocked door to the living room only to find the house still empty. The old abandoned home gave Emily the chills. It still looked the same as it did when she was a teenager, although it didn't possess that lived in look as it did when her family lived there.

It was just an empty open space with hardwood floors and tan walls. Emily couldn't help the chill that went through her when she saw the bloodstain on the hardwood. Obviously someone had come in and tried to scrub the spot, it has faded, but you can still the dark brown ring that, to Emily, symbolizes the death of Renee Marie Callaghan, mother, wife, and murder victim. Emily crossed herself as she stepped across the stain.

Emily had to admit that the design of her childhood home was a bit odd. Once you step through the front door, you're greeted into the living room. There was only a doorway that led you into the kitchen and just left to the kitchen, was a hallway where the two bedrooms were. At the end of the hallway was a door to the basement. Assuming Liam was maybe waiting for her at the kitchen table; Emily walked towards the doorway, but froze in mid step when she heard a loud crash coming from one of the rooms in the hallway.

She instinctively pulled her gun out and walked slowly into the hallway. The first door she came to on the right was her old bedroom. She slowly opened the door and saw the room was empty. Nothing was in the room, not a person or a scrap of furniture. Yet to Emily, the room brought back so many memories. Her aurora pink walls with large ballerina pictures everywhere. Emily couldn't help but remember how girly she was as a child. She lowered her gun as a flood of memories hit her. The white curtains hanging from the window that her bed use to sit under. She remembered how her mother would wake her up every morning by sliding open the curtains and giving her a kiss on her forehead. Renee was always a morning person.

Emily was so caught up in her memories she didn't see the shadow that was creeping up behind her. Before she had time to react she felt something slam with force to the back of her head. The last thing she felt before blacking out was the blood dripping from the back of her head.

….

Liam stood in his old bedroom at the window watching his daughter from her car. _God, I wish she'd hurry up and just get in here._ He thought as he took another sip from his beer. He didn't know how much to trust James's idea of just jumping her in the kitchen. What if she didn't go into the kitchen? Sure his daughter was small and frail, but he'd like to get this done with no scratches. Maybe that was too much to ask. Before he got lost in thought, he noticed that she started to open up her car door. He stuck his head out of his bedroom door and yelled down the hallway at James who was in the kitchen with his gun.

"She's coming James! Take your place."

James jumped from the table and took his place at the wall beside the doorway. Their plan is that hopefully she'll walk into the kitchen expecting to see Liam waiting, but instead, James will knock her out with his gun. He took a deep breath and waited for his target.

Hearing the front door open, he put his gun in position and makes sure his shadow is out of her eye range.

Back in the bedroom, Liam paces the floor nervously. How long was this going to take? He finished off his beer and noticed a lack of trash cans or desks he can place the empty beer bottle on so he just places it on the floor quietly.

After a couple of minutes, curiosity gets the best of him and he sneaks over to the door and cracks it open ever so lightly. When he does, he sees her. He can believe how grown up is little Emmy has gotten. Believe it or not, he still does love her very much. He almost considers aborting the mission until he sees it; the gun sticking out from under her shirt. Shocked, Liam quietly closes the door and stumbles backwards, hoping to land on the bed. What, was she planning to shoot him? Was she planning on murdering her own father? Liam was so angry; he needed to take his rage out. He picked up the bottle lying on the floor and threw it at the wall; smashing it into millions of pieces.

The loud crash from the bedroom made James jump. He couldn't help but grit his teeth in frustration when Emily pulled her gun out and changed her direction from the kitchen to the hallway. She was so close! He almost had her. He quietly crept out of the kitchen and noticed his target was distracted, just peering inside of a room. He managed to get right behind her unnoticed, but he did notice the room she seemed to be distracted by. It must have been her old room. James felt a small pang of guilt in his heart, but before he could chicken out he raised the end of the gun and connected it to the back of her head; knocking her out almost instantly.

James walked over to the next door to the left so he could retrieve Liam and get this over with. "What the hell is going on in here?" James shouted when he opened the door to the bedroom.

"The little bitch was going to shoot me, James." Liam said. "Why the fuck would she even think about doing that?"

James gave Liam a quizzical look. "Gee I don't know, maybe she thought we were going to kidnap her?" He said sarcastically, holding up the bloody end of the gun. "Now let's hurry this up and get this over with." He said, exiting the room.

Liam opened the door to the basement and helped James carry her down the steps. He also retrieved the gun that was still clutched in her hand and slipped it into his pocket. With James's help, they set her down in an armless chair and duct taped her hands together behind the back of the chair. James also had the idea to duct tape her stomach to the back of the chair in long round strips going around her three times. The also taped her legs to the legs of the chair and they placed a strip of tape over her lips. When she woke up, she wasn't going anywhere.

….

A few hours later when Emily woke up, all she could think about was the blinding pain in the back of her head. Her instincts told her that she probably had a concussion. Her first reaction was to scream, but someone had thought about that and taped her mouth shut. She couldn't really remember what had happened, but once she calmed down and got a good look around the place, she remembered her father. He was the one that did this to her. He's holding her captive in her old basement. She tried to fight back the tears to look tough, but soon they betrayed her and began too poor.

She forced herself to stop crying. Because of her bound hands she couldn't wipe the tears away and having them slowly drip down her cheek was torcher. She was alone down in the basement for about 30 minutes until someone came down the steps. It was him. It was Liam.

"Would you look at that?" He said, slowly making his way down the large staircase. "Sleeping beauty is finally awake."

If looks could kill, Liam would have been dead. Emily conjured up the strength to try to wiggle her way out of the tape, but it was no use. She was really stuck. He skin burned every time she tried to jerk her hands free of the tape, so she soon gave up. "I'd like you to meet a friend of mine, Emily." Liam said to Emily, ignoring her distress. That's when Emily noticed the man following shortly behind Liam. "Emily, this is my friend James, James, this is my daughter Emily."

James smiled an evil grin. "I've heard so much about you."

"Where are your manors Emmy?" Liam said with his wicked grin. "Say hello to daddy's friend." Emily just kept her angry gaze at Liam. "Oh, I forgot, you're a bit tied up at the moment, huh?" He chuckled and ripped the tape from her mouth. Emily tried not to wince at the pain.

"What do you want?" Emily said, gritting her teeth.

James laughed. "Well, we're just going to get right to it, huh?" It took all the strength Emily had not to yell at him. "Your daughter is all business, isn't she Liam."

"That she is James." Liam walked over to the other side of the room and took a spare chair sitting against the wall. He brought the chair in front of Emily and sat down with her. Face to face. "I've got to admit Emmy, James and I weren't planning on this when we broke out. Yes I did plan to meet up with you, maybe even kill you, but that was before I found out you owned something very valuable."

She tried to show no hint of confusion, but she had to know. "And what would that be?" She asked. Liam both looked at each other and laughed.

"You see, James and I need some money and believe it or not, most people won't hire escape convicts. Our plan is to receive money and start new lives in America. The only way we can think of doing this is to turn in the saints and collect the reward money. That's where you come in sweetie."

Emily gave her father a confused look. "What are you talking about? Who are the saints?"

This brought laughter to James. "You were right Liam; she isn't the brightest girl is she?" He pulled out a folded piece of paper from his back pocket, unfolded it, and held it up for Emily. Emily squinted to read the sheet of paper. _The Saints_, three serial killing vigilantes from South Boston who claim they are on a mission from God to kill the corrupt, also on the page where the sketches from the witnesses in the courtroom where a mafia man was murdered by the saints. He had apparently been part of the mafia. The sketches looked like… No... It couldn't be. Is that Murphy? He wouldn't hurt a fly. The other drawings, could they be Connor and Noah? It couldn't be real. There was a reward price at the bottom of the page, $100,000 for each saint.

"So as you can see, James and I can make a pretty little profit on them, but we had to make a plan. What do they Saints love more than anything? Family and friends of course. We hired a hit man to kill their beloved priest in Boston so I could lure closer to me. You are going to be the bait in out pretty little plan." Emily tried to absorb this information as fast as she could so she could retaliate.

"There's a flaw in your perfect plan Liam." She said, looking her father straight in the eyes. "They're in Boston, miles and miles away. They are safe from you."

James let out a pity laugh. "You didn't think we were that stupid, did you darling?" The corners of Liam's mouth twisted up into a smile.

"We had the hit man turn himself in. We know the saints had to have some help from the FBI. He told them everything. Technically they can't do anything to use while we're in Ireland, but the saints can. My guess is that they're on the boat back to Ireland right now."

It was getting harder for Emily to control her breathing. "You planned all of this?"

"Guilty." Liam said with a smile.

"You know what?" Emily said, lying back in the chair. "I hope they do come. I hope they come and put a bullet through your brain."

Liam chuckled. "Oh, we're going to make sure they come. You're going to give them a little heads up." He said, taking his cell phone out of his pocket. "Why don't you go ahead and give them a warning? Can you tell me his number?" He dialed the number and put the phone on speaker and held it just under Emily's mouth.

….

Connor was having trouble holding the directions to Emily's childhood home. Murphy was driving like a maniac, not that Connor was judging. He would be too if it were his wife. His imaginary wife. "Take a left up here Murph."

"I swear to God we've hit every fucking red light on this road." Murphy said, slamming his hands on the steering wheel of the car.

Connor took a breath and looked at Murphy. "I'm worried too Murphy, but she's a strong girl. She's going to be just fine." He placed his hand on Murphy's should, which Murphy brushed off. "Going off like this is helping anything." Murphy placed his forehead on the steering wheel while Connor put his hand comfortingly on his shoulder.

"What if he hurts her Conn? What am I going to do without her?"

Connor forced his brother to look him in the eyes. "She's going to be fine Murphy. Nothing bad is going to happen to her. We're going to find this douchebag and put a well-deserved bullet into his brain." This promise seemed to calm Murphy a bit, but not much.

He took a deep breath and looked at Connor. "So, what did you tell Rome?"

Connor was glad to try to take Murphy's mind off of his wife, even if it was only for a moment. "He was pretty pissed when I dismissed him, but this is a family matter. I told him if we ever went back into America, we'd give him a call." This answer seemed to please Murphy. The rest of the fast ride was quiet until Murphy's phone started to ring. Murphy took it out and examined it.

"It's an unknown number."

"Answer it, it could be Emily." Connor said.

Murphy took a deep breath and answered the phone. "Hello?"

"_Murphy!"_

"Emily! Where are you? Are you okay?" Murphy said. He placed the call on speaker so Connor could hear and talk too.

"_Murphy, are you in Ireland?"_

"Yes, I'm here. Where are you? Are you safe?" He said.

"_Listen Murphy, I'm fine, but you need to get out of here. I can't explain why right now, but trust me; you need to leave Ireland with Connor and Lilah." _

Murphy took a deep breath. "Emily, I'm sorry, but I know about your father. Are you still at your old home?"

"_You can't come here Murphy! It's a trap…_" The phone was suddenly disconnected.

"Emily? Emily!" Murphy shouted at the phone. "He's still got her there. We need to get there fast. Who knows what the sick bastard could be doing to her." As soon as Murphy hit the dirt road, he sent the car going as fast as the wheels could take it.

"She said it was a trap." Connor said. He took all of Emily's words to heart and tried to figure out what they meant. "He's probably planning on killing us. We need to be very careful. Liam might be stupid, but it doesn't mean he can't kill us." Connor sighed and looked out the car window. They were almost at Emily's house. He let his hand slide up from his side and he held onto the cross necklace Bailey had giving him before they left so abruptly. He couldn't wait to see her again once this was all over. He needed to snap out of it. He needs to focus on Emily and Murphy.


End file.
